Don't Screw This Up
by SarcasticEmpath
Summary: Alternate beginning to how Raven joins the Teen Titans. In order to blend in with the new culture, Raven decides to enroll at Murakami High School. All she wants to do is start over and feel like she belongs somewhere. But will her tele-empathetic abilities capture the attention of a new team of heroes known as the Teen Titans? Rated T for now but who knows where this will end up.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! This is my first attempt at fanfiction writing so please forgive me if it sucks. So mainly this story is about Raven starting her new life on earth. It's kind of an alternate beginning to "Go!" in the Teen Titans tv series. Like instead of them all meeting through Starfire and the Gordanians attacking, Raven is the last to come to earth and the rest of the team has already been assembled. Does that make sense? Oh well.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans. **

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"This is it. New world. New city. New school. New Life."

Before leaving her bathroom, Raven Roth gave herself another once-over in the gilded mirror. Wearing only her black bra and panties, she eyed herself critically as she inspected her not-exactly-inconspicuous lavender locks. As she ran her dainty fingers through her hair, she cursed when she noticed how dry and split her ends were and instantly regretted not getting that haircut. Dying the color wouldn't have been such a bad idea either now that she thought of it, but Raven liked the color of her hair. She secretly appreciated the way it highlighted the amethyst shade of her eyes and contrasted against her pale, grey skin.

Raven wasn't naive, though. She was very much aware how she was going to look compared to the sun-kissed, natural blondes she would be attending school with. Even though her violet hair was natural, Raven understood that here, on earth, people would assume the color came from a bottle. And though her skin was beautiful, she realized that to everyone else, the grey hue would look strange and foreign.

Raven wasn't here to win a beauty pageant though. She was here, in Jump City, to start over, to make a new life for herself.

After Raven left Azarath and came to Jump City, she realized the best way to assimilate into the culture would be to enroll into a secondary school, even though the monks on Azarath had already given her a thorough education. Once she had done some research on the types of schools offered in Jump City, she concluded that Murakami High School would suit her best and right away applied for a scholarship. About a couple weeks later, the school called Raven's small apartment and informed her that that next Monday, she would be attending Murakami High School on a full scholarship.

Snapping out of her reverie, Raven decided a little makeup wouldn't hurt and picked up a black eyeliner pencil. After lining her upper lid sparingly, she traded the eyeliner for a tube of mascara and brushed the wand through her upper eyelashes a couple times before setting the tube back onto the counter. _There. _Though she had applied very little makeup, just the very hint of the black eyeliner had made her eyes gleam an intense shade of aubergine. She even felt a little pretty. Kind of.

Checking the time on the small digital clock in her bathroom, Raven cursed again and rushed out and into her bedroom. She frowned when she remembered the drab school uniform carefully laid out on her bed. To be honest, it wasn't that bad, and it was far better than having to pick out a new outfit everyday like for a public school. Still, this was going to take some getting used to. With a small sigh, she put on the white collared shirt and began to button it up. Afterwards, she pulled on the navy-blue pleated skirt and tucked the shirt into it. With a lot of effort and cursing, she then somehow managed to put the black tie on and then eased into the white knee-high socks and black ballet-flats. When she was finished dressing, she appraised herself in the full-length mirror next to her armoire. At an average height of 5'5", Raven was rather short. Though she weighed about 110 pounds, she didn't see herself as skinny; all she saw were hips and thighs. What really stood out to Raven at that moment though, was how..normal she looked. Without her black leotard and cloak, Raven almost looked like a regular person.

"Well I suppose this isn't...completely dreadful".

Sighing again, Raven checked her cell phone for the time. When she realized how late she was for her first day, she quickly shrugged on her school bag and chanted her mantra until she teleported to a small alley about a block away from Murakami High School. Making sure no one was around to see her, Raven hurried out of the alley and toward the school. Once she was in front of the school gates, Raven gulped as she suddenly realized what a big deal this was.

"Don't screw this up", she mumbled as she slipped inside the gates of the high school.

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So that's the first chapter. I'm not really sure how long this story is going to be in all honesty. I'm going to try to update as much as much as possible, but finals are coming up so I'm not really sure. Maybe once a week? Let me know what you liked and what you think I should add or change to improve my story. Thanks for taking the time to read it!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I just wanna say thank you the people who took the time to read the first chapter and an even bigger thanks to those who are following this story or even took the time to leave a comment. That really means a lot to me, and I'm really gonna try to update this story as quickly I can for you guys.

Seriously though, I almost started crying when I read the reviews you guys gave me. Really, it means a lot.

**Xaphrin**: OMG I cannot believe you of all people are reading and reviewing my story. I am simply obsessed with your "To Claim and Possess" story. Thank you for you kind words!

**purpleraven23**: Your encouraging words really mean a lot to me. I basically squealed out loud when I read your review. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 2

Once she had finally finished speaking with the headmistress and received her class schedule, Raven wandered out of the front office and looked up and down the empty hallway. Though it was a small school, it was quite splendid, and the black and white framed photos on the walls made it evident that the school's distinguished history went back for more than a few decades. Displays of neatly arranged and polished trophy cases highlighted the standard of success the school expected from its students. Next to the lustrous mahogany lockers lining the walls, an immaculate set of windows revealed an open courtyard with blossoming flowers. Raven whistled in a state of admiration. This school was a lot nicer than she had anticipated.

The first morning class had already begun, and Raven was starting to have second thoughts about the whole thing. Maybe, if she moved quickly, she could just teleport back to her apartment and hide in her books for the rest of her lonely life. The more she lingered in the quiet hallway, the better the idea sounded. With an exasperated sigh, Raven despondently began to drift down the hallway. Who was she kidding? She didn't belong here. She didn't even belong on this planet. There was no way this was going to work.

As she began to round a corner, still lost in thought, Raven smacked into something formidable and soon found herself lying on the hard, linoleum ground. With a small groan, Raven tried to sit up, but found immediate difficulty. When Raven slowly opened her violet eyes, she found herself gazing into a pair of curious green eyes. With slight mortification, Raven realized that the green eyes belonged to a boy, a quite handsome boy, who was lying right on top of her. Raven noticed that he smelled like freshly cut grass and spearmint and nearly sighed in content. He was so handsome, though, he was beginning to make her feel a little uncomfortable. Why was he staring at her like that? And why the heck was he still on top of her? Feeling awkward and slightly annoyed, Raven mumbled the most charming statement she could think of, "Ow."

The handsome boy immediately seemed to snap out of whatever reverie he was stuck in and nervously responded, "Heh. Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"I'd be a lot better if you would stop crushing me.", Raven deadpanned. _So much for making friends on the first day._

"Oh sorry! Sorry! Here, let me help you!"

Mortified, the boy swiftly stood up and offered his hand to Raven, who was still lying on the ground in sardonic disbelief that this was, in fact, her actual life.

Without taking his hand, Raven stood up and began to dust off what used to be her clean and ironed shirt. When she was finished attempting to look presentable, she was a little perturbed to find that the boy was still there, watching her with an intrigued look on his face. He was just standing there, like he was trying to take in and absorb her existence. With him seemingly distracted, Raven decided to get a better look at her assailant.

Yes, he was definitely handsome, but not in an obnoxious kind of way. He wasn't as tall as Raven had originally guessed, only about 5'8", but she could tell he was toned and athletic and probably played sports like he was 6'4". His eyes were kind and expressive, and Raven found it difficult to look at them without feeling like he was seeing into her very soul. If she squinted, Raven could swear she saw a lone fang poking out of his somewhat shy, but infectious, grin. Just as she was about to allow a small smile to play on her lips, Raven realized that she had been blatantly sizing him up and averted her gaze in embarrassment.

"Soooo...this was fun. I'm gonna go now", Raven remarked self-consciously and turned to go.

The boy seemed alarmed at her sudden departure and grabbed her arm in haste, blurting out, "Wait!"

The unexpected contact shook Raven to her core and in self-defense she almost unleashed her powers on him. In the distance, Raven could hear a florescent lightbulb shatter, as a result of her channeled powers. As if sensing her tension though, the boy immediately retracted his hand and Raven began to relax. What was this guy's deal?

The boy shuffled his feet and with a hopeful smile on his face, remarked, "Uhh sorry about that, but I couldn't let you leave without learning your name."

Still a little tense and confused from the unwelcome contact, Raven simply uttered, "Raven.", before turning on her heel and walking toward the English department. _Can't exactly just disappear now. *Sigh*. Might as well go to class and see what happens._

As she continued to walk down the hall, she heard him call after her in a sheepish voice, "Oh uh okay! Cool! My name's Garfield!"

"Super", Raven muttered as she turned the corner to the English department. She made a mental note to visit the school's library as soon as possible, as she had a sneaky suspicion that many of the texts stored there were first-editions.

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So that's the second chapter. Sorry my chapters are so short. I'v already begun working on chapter three though if that helps! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello there. So one of my biggest goals for this story right now is to make the chapters longer, which will probably be a gradual process. Whether or not this will affect how often I update, I have no idea at the moment, so we're just gonna have to play this one by ear. Thanks for sticking with this story. Every time I get an email saying that I have a new story follower or that somebody added this story to their favorites, it just makes me so happy you have no idea. I'll try not to disappoint all of you.

**Xaphrin: **I don't wanna reveal anything major, but I will tell you that just one of the Titans is attending the school. The reasons for which will remain a surprise. I have a rough outline of how this story is going to play out, but who knows maybe I'll decide I hate it and change it along the way.

**Peacock-Lover: **Oh my goodness thank you for your comments! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 3

_What an annoying troll_, Raven fumed as she skulked down the English hallway. First, he nearly gives her a concussion. Then, he's staring at her like a drone and asking her for her name as if she owed it to him or something. And she was still in disbelief she had allowed him to remain on top of her like that for so long. It was enough to make Raven want to slap herself across the face. And grabbing her arm like that? What the heck was that about?

Raven jumped when a locker behind her suddenly exploded open and a hurricane of books and papers burst across the empty hallway. Realizing she was letting her emotions get the better of her, Raven took a seat on a nearby bench and concentrated on clearing her mind.

_Breathe Raven, breathe. Focus. Inhale, exhale. Azarath, metrion, zinthos._

Raven opened her eyes. Though she was significantly calmer, she became agitated again when she noticed that Garfield was still on her mind. Now that she really thought of it, though, she couldn't believe how calmly she'd handled her run-in with him. Any other miserable soul would have instantly felt the explosive wrath of Rage and probably would have been sent to another dimension.

But with him, it had felt different somehow. Sure, he had infinitely annoyed her, and his unnecessary closeness had been sufficiently unnerving, but there was something peculiar about their encounter. Instead of anger and Rage, Raven had felt a strange...electricity. She chewed her lip as she stewed over this revelation.

_No._ Raven suddenly decided, brows furrowed._ There was nothing. I'm probably just imagining things. _

Raven pushed the ridiculous thought into the farthest recesses of her mind and checked her phone. She groaned inwardly when she calculated she had already missed the first thirty minutes of her AP English class and hurried down the hallway. She stopped when she recognized a particular classroom number engraved on a door. _This must be it._

Confirming her supposition with a quick glance at her printed schedule, Raven took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and entered the classroom.

All at once, seventeen sets of curious eyes focused on her. _Should've dyed the hair_, Raven thought sardonically.

A Vietnamese woman standing at the whiteboard, whom Raven assumed was the teacher, addressed her in an authoritative voice, "Can I help you? Do you need something?"

The middle-aged woman was about 5'8" in stature. She had warm brown eyes and her long, dark-brown hair was pulled halfway up in a clip. She wore a light blue silk blouse paired with black slacks; on her feet she wore black alligator flats with a kitten heel. She had minimal makeup on and very little jewelry except for the elegant diamond studs in her ears and the simple gold band on her right ring finger.

"Yes, umm I'm Raven. I'm the new student?", Raven supplied meekly.

"Did you get lost or something? Why are you so tardy?", the woman questioned sternly.

"Oh yes, sorry for the tardiness. I got held up in the front office", Raven lied lamely.

Somewhat satisfied with Raven's excuse, the intimidating woman nodded and motioned for Raven to sit in an empty desk in the second row. "My name is Ms. Pham by the way", she added as she watched Raven cross the room to her desk.

Raven sank into her chair in utter relief. It felt like she had already been through so much today and she wasn't even finished with her first class. She observed quietly as Ms. Pham prattled on about the numerous societal themes in Aldous Huxley's _Brave New World. _If she wanted to do well in this class, Raven definitely had some catching up to do. She wasn't too worried however, as she loved to read and had always found English to be one of her better subjects.

As Ms. Pham continued to lecture, Raven soon found herself zoning out. Curious about her peers, Raven discreetly decided to turn around in her seat to get a better look at them.

Most of the girls were either stick-thin or possessed impressive curves, while a majority of the boys looked undeniably athletic. It was evident they were all products of undoubtedly good genes: great bone structure, silky hair, flawless skin, and straight, pearly-white teeth. Raven was willing to bet her meditation mirror they were all super intelligent too, and on the fast track to a successful life. And here was Raven, with her purple hair, grey skin, and half-demon genes, thirty minutes late on her first day. She was starting to feel like she wasn't going to have anything in common with these people at all.

After searching the various faces of her classmates, Raven held in a sigh of relief when she concluded that Garfield was not, in fact, in this class. The last thing she wanted was to revisit the awkward encounter they had shared that morning. At least something was working in her favor today.

As she moved to turn back around in her seat, Raven caught one of her classmates, a girl, staring at her from a couple rows back. Unsurprisingly enough, the girl had sparkling blue eyes and enviously long, natural blonde hair that flowed down her model-thin body. Raven tried not to roll her eyes. _Of course._

Raven couldn't tell if the girl was being creepy or just zoning out, but what was it with the people at this school and staring? When the girl finally snapped to attention and realized Raven was staring right back at her, she briskly dropped her gaze and pretended like she was taking notes.

Satisfied with her small, superfluous victory, Raven turned and focused on tuning into Ms. Pham's monotonous lecture.

The rest of the period went off without a hitch and when the bell signaling the end of the period finally rang, Raven moved to gather her books and pack up. The school gave their hardworking students a short fifteen minute break before their mid-morning classes and Raven fully intended to check out the dining hall to see if they offered herbal teas.

Azar knew she could use one.

As she moved to stand up, however, the weird blonde girl from earlier appeared out of nowhere right in front of Raven's desk. Caught off guard, Raven plopped back down into her seat and frowned at the skinny girl. Judging from her hard facial expression, Raven had the distinct feeling that Blondie was sizing her up. What could she possibly have to say to Raven? A biting, but not totally unforeseen remark about her strange hair color? A scathing comment about her needing to spend more time in the sun? Fists balled, Raven prepared for a verbal, and if necessary, physical exchange with the blonde. She may have been the new girl, but there was no way in hell Raven was going to be intimidated by this Abercrombie model. Raven was a lot of things, but she was definitely not a doormat.

Soon the two girls were the only ones left in the classroom and it became eerily quiet. Raven cleared her throat impatiently and made her move, "Can I help you?"

Blondie cocked her head to the side and seemed to consider her options for a few seconds. Then, to Raven's complete shock, she smiled at Raven and offered her hand, replying, "You're the new girl right? Raven? My name's Terra".

_What?_

Utterly dumbfounded and confused to say the least, Raven took a few seconds before calmly shaking Terra's hand and responding, "Uhh yeah, I think I established that when I first walked into class...but, yeah, that's me"

Terra nodded in approval, "Cool. Sorry for staring at you earlier. Totally zoned out on Ms. Pham's boring lecture. I'll see you around then, Raven". Giving Raven another pearly smile, Terra shrugged on her backpack and walked nonchalantly out of the classroom and into the busy hallway.

Raven remained in her seat, reflecting on what just transpired. She honestly didn't know what to make of Terra. From experience, Raven was always on guard for fake people looking to get at something at Raven's expense, but for now, she supposed she would just keep an eye on Terra. Who knows, maybe Terra was actually a genuine person.

Raven finally stood and stretched before sighing and placing her book bag on her shoulder.

"I need tea", she mumbled as she exited the classroom.

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There's chapter three! I had an entirely different scene written out between Raven and Terra, but I decided at the last minute it was too cliché and changed it. I hope you all enjoyed it. Chapter four will hopefully be up by tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I know the pace for this story is kind of slow right now, but hopefully I can gradually speed it up. It's just that I'm a very detail-oriented person and I want to establish the setting and everything before things start to pick up.

**purpleraven23: **Hahah yeah I'm not Terra's biggest fan either. I'm a little undecided on where I'm gonna take her as a character though. Don't worry about reviewing every chapter. I'm not saying I don't care if you guys review (because I do of course), but it's not your guys' job to review every single chapter. I'm just happy people are reading my story, let alone reviewing it.

**Guest: **Thank you! Eventually the pace will pick up, I swear.

**Apolloll: **"love how you do Raven" Oh my goodness that is one of the nicest things anyones ever said to me. One of my biggest concerns when I'm writing this story is if I'm doing Raven justice so thank you for easing my mind.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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Chapter 4

Unlike this morning, the hallways were now noisy and bustling with students. Thanks to Terra's dramatic introduction, Raven only had about ten minutes of her break left to go to the dining hall.

As she sauntered down the busy hallway, Raven noticed a group of students gathered around a particular section of lockers. Rubbernecking to get a better look, she realized with mortification they were congregating around the very locker Raven's powers had nuked that morning. Whoops. Raven tried not to look too guilty as she hurried past the scene and into the dining hall.

To Raven's delight, the dining hall offered a wide variety of herbal teas. She quickly decided on Earl Grey for the caffeine boost and pulled out her printed schedule. According to the piece of paper, she had AP Biology next. As she sipped on her tea, Raven briefly wondered if Terra would be in that class.

_Maybe we could become besties over a good old fashioned cat dissection_,Raven mused sarcastically.

Raven finished her tea just as the bell rang and threw away her trash before gathering her things and heading for the science hallway. Once she had located her classroom, she swiftly ducked inside.

As Raven searched for an empty seat in the noisy room, her heart suddenly dropped to her stomach when she recognized a certain green-eyed boy chatting someone up in the corner. In haste, Raven took the empty seat closest to her, opened a biology textbook, and watched him from the corner of her eye while she pretended to be engrossed by a chapter about phylums.

Eventually the final bell rang and the other students moved to take their seats. Raven prayed Garfield wouldn't see her, but she knew the situation was pretty hopeless; she had violet hair for crying out loud, of course he was going to recognize her. As Garfield moved to take the seat nearest to him, Raven noticed that his eyes were roaming the room, as if he was looking for someone. Was he looking for her?

_Don't even think about looking over here_, Raven growled in her mind.

Too late. As if hearing her thoughts, Garfield's eyes landed on Raven and his face lit up.Immediately he picked up his backpack and strolled over to her confidently. Raven was desperately trying to subdue the temptation to bang her head against the lab table. Her heart sank when when she realized the seat next to her was empty. Was he actually going to sit next to her?

_This cannot be happening._

Raven focused all her energy into keeping her face devoid of emotion. Maybe he would sense her lack of a personality and decide to go bother someone else.

She pretended not to notice when he was standing right next to her, his soothing scent once again filling her nostrils. He was being very patient, waiting for Raven to acknowledge his presence, but she was being difficult as usual.

Garfield smiled shyly and attempted to open the conversation, "Raven, right? I'm the clumsy guy from this morning? Garfield?"

Raven had to give him props for determination, but still. What was his fascination with her?

Raven finally looked up. She had to admit, the hopeful expression on his face was kind of endearing. Instead of being a decent person and meeting him halfway though, Raven simply shrugged and gave him a blank look.

Garfield frowned, "I'm Garfield? From this morning?"

Raven couldn't help herself, "Yes, you mentioned that already"

Garfield tried to hide his injured confidence, but failed, "Dude! I totally met you less than three hours ago! And there's no way you could've forgotten a face like this!"

Raven narrowed her eyes and pretended to search for him in her memory Even though she was kind of having fun with this, she decided to throw the poor guy a bone and feigned recognition.

"Ahhh yes, now I remember. The guy who tackled me in the hallway", she announced with a smirk. Hey, she tried.

Garfield's eyes widened in disbelief, "What?! I so did not tackle you!"

Raven spurned the intense desire to laugh. This was just too easy. As she opened her mouth to retort, however, the presiding teacher walked into class and looked at his students expectantly.

Ignoring Garfield, Raven closed the textbook and took out her notebook in preparation for lecture to begin. To say she was startled when she suddenly heard Garfield's low voice in her ear, is an understatement.

"Hey do you mind if I sit here? There's no other seats", he whispered discreetly.

"Actually, I do", she whispered back, annoyed.

"Oh come on. There's nowhere else to sit", he prodded.

"Then why don't you make yourself comfortable on the floor?", she replied, a hint of anger growing in her voice.

A throat cleared and Raven and Garfield's attention snapped to the front of the classroom.

"Is there a problem?", their elderly, white-haired teacher asked, clearly displeased. A few students snickered.

"No sir, no problem here. I was just sitting down in my seat", Garfield responded respectfully before settling down in the seat next to Raven. She couldn't help but roll her eyes disdainfully when he turned and gave her a victorious smirk.

For the rest of the period, Raven focused on shunning Garfield, no matter how distracting he was. The task was a lot harder than she had anticipated, however.

Unlike his peers, Garfield didn't seem very concerned with taking notes or paying attention; he spent most of the period doodling or drawing comics on his notebook. It was quite distracting to say the least and sometimes Raven even found herself watching him as he created entire scenes out of thin air.

Every now and then, however, Garfield would look up and catch her staring, mortifying her in the process. Instead of making a big deal of it though, he would just chuckle softly and turn back to his drawings.

When the bell finally rang at the end of the period, Raven gathered her belongings and raced out before Garfield could say anything. She'd had enough of him for one lifetime.

When Raven found her locker, she promptly shoved her book bag into it and headed for the dining hall. After grabbing a chicken Caesar salad and another mug of hot tea, Raven looked around the crowded dining hall for a place to sit.

The dreaded plight of the new kid.

In one corner, she spotted Terra. She was surrounded by an entourage of friends and they were all laughing about something particularly funny. Raven was tempted to ask if she could join them, but she quickly rebuffed it. Let's face it, she wasn't desperate.

Mercifully, a table nearby opened up and Raven pounced on it. As she settled in, it occurred to her that she should have brought a book so she could read while eating.

She was well aware she was probably sealing her fate as a loner by eating alone, but at this point she didn't really care. As annoyingly tragic as it sounded, Raven was accustomed to relying only on herself.

As the tea began to relax her mind, she tuned out the cacophony of the dining hall and allowed her thoughts to wander. It felt so nice to just sit still and be quiet, even if only for a few minutes.

Her reverie was abruptly interrupted, however, when a plate piled high with tofu was slammed onto the table. Thoroughly startled, Raven turned to glare at her unwelcome company only to find Garfield grinning down at her.

_You've got to be kidding me_.

Raven opened her mouth to utter a few choice words, but Garfield paid no heed and sat down in the chair across from her. She watched in disgust as he began to inhale his food like an animal.

"No, please, sit down. I insist", Raven muttered sarcastically.

As he ate, she couldn't help but notice the irony of the situation. If he really knew who she was or what she was capable of, he wouldn't go within a hundred yards of her.

When every morsel had been consumed, Garfield sighed in content and leaned back in his chair. Feeling Raven's unwavering glare upon him, he locked eyes with her.

"What?", he asked innocently, eyebrows raised in question.

"Nothing", Raven mumbled before going back to her salad.

They sat in awkward silence for the next couple of minutes before Garfield spoke up again.

"Soooo...where are you from, originally?", he politely inquired.

"Not here, obviously", Raven retorted, picking at her salad, appetite long gone.

"Ahhh a girl with mystery", Garfield replied, getting excited. "I like it!"

Raven rolled her eyes and sipped her tea before changing the conversation, "So tell me something, Garfield"

"Anything", he smiled.

"What are you doing?"

His smile faded, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you eating lunch with me?", she interrogated.

Garfield pondered her question for a few moments before finally answering, voice quieter than usual, "I don't know, I mean, I'm not really a clique-y kind of guy, I guess. I talk to whoever and I sit wherever".

He paused and allowed her to digest this before continuing, "And I was new once too, so I get it".

"Get what?", Raven asked.

"That feeling"

Raven pretended to be completely lost. "What feeling?"

Garfield looked at her carefully for a few moments, then finished softly, "Of feeling like a fish out of water. Like it's just you by yourself and no one notices. Of just wanting to fit in".

Raven was dumbfounded. How did he do that?

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She tried to think of something cutting to say, something to shut him down, but she couldn't. Exasperated, Raven picked up her half-eaten lunch and stormed away from the table, away from a dispirited Garfield.

After dumping her leftover food, she headed for the exit, a stoney look adorning her face.

She didn't even flinch when all the tables in the dining hall exploded behind her, leaving everyone a disgusting, food-covered mess, including Garfield.

"Whoops", she deadpanned, not once looking back.

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The plot thickens! But seriously, that one took me a while to work out so I hope you all enjoyed it. This is actually starting to feel like a real story. Chapter five should be up by Sunday, if not Monday. Maybe even tomorrow!...But let's not go crazy now.


	5. Chapter 5

I know. I know. This was supposed to be posted like two weeks ago. I had finals though and studying became my main focus and I'm really sorry please don't hate me.

**Xaphrin: **Yes yes yessssss I'm so glad you think I'm writing the characters correctly that really means a lot. Thanks for the catch on the punctuation! I wasn't really sure if I was doing that correctly so thanks for telling me how to fix it. Feedback like this is always appreciated.

**Guest: **I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much! I'll do my best to update as soon as I can. Thanks for your review.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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Raven stormed to the nearest bathroom, slamming the door open as she entered. She checked every bathroom stall, making sure she was alone. When she was satisfied, she sank to the floor in exasperation and rubbed her face tiredly.

She wanted nothing more than to scream, but she knew that would solve nothing.

It wasn't even two o'clock and Raven already felt emotionally drained. What was it about this guy that got under her skin so deeply? They'd only met a few hours ago and she was already on the verge of destroying the school with her channeled outbursts.

Raven stood and sauntered over to the sinks. She gripped the porcelain and stared at her reflection long and hard. Though her face was its usual impassiveness, her eyes betrayed her and hoarded indignation inside them.

If Raven was going to live on this planet covertly, she needed to get it together. One more outburst and her secret would be obvious to everyone.

She took a deep breath and splashed some cold water on her face, relishing in the way the cool temperature rejuvenated her spirit and made her feel more at peace. She made a mental note to do a couple extra hours of meditation when she got back to her apartment.

Two more classes and she was done for the day. She could do this.

Raven walked out of the bathroom and nearly smacked into Garfield, who had obviously been waiting for her. She felt her anger resurfacing, but quickly subdued it when she took in his disheveled appearance.

Quite frankly, he was a mess. His shirt was stained with spaghetti and pudding and his pants were riddled with an assortment of dark, mysterious splotches; stray pieces of salad adorned his unruly hair.

"You know, the guys bathroom is on the other side of the hall," she deadpanned.

No answer.

Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Are you just gonna follow me around the whole day or...?"

No answer again.

"Okay then..."

Raven shrugged and turned to leave, but Garfield blocked her path.

"What the hell was that?" Garfield demanded angrily. His fists were clenched at his sides and she could feel the frustration rolling off of him. Raven plastered a defiant glare on her face, ready for a fight.

"You need to calm down," she replied, face cold.

Garfield was livid, "Not until you explain to me what just happened in there! One minute you and I are talking, and then the next you're storming out and today's special is raining down on me!"

Raven raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. Guess the guy possessed a temper after all. Raven was too annoyed to care though, and impatiently moved to walk away from him. Before she could take two steps though, he was already blocking her path again.

Raven huffed in irritation. She put her hands on her hips and stared directly into his intense green eyes, daring him to make his move. In response, Garfield stood straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, towering over Raven more than ever now.

"What happened in there?" he demanded again, although more placidly this time.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she answered evenly.

Garfield let out a groan and ruffled his hair in vexation. "You are seriously the most frustrating girl I've ever met," he growled.

"Duly noted," she monotoned before taking the opportunity to maneuver around and away from him.

With her back turned away from Garfield, she began walking to her locker. On second thought, maybe she would just ditch her last two classes. She'd had enough school for one day.

"What's your problem!" he called after her. "All I've done is been completely friendly to you all day, and you treat me like I did something wrong! What did I do?!"

A few passersby stopped and eyed Raven and Garfield curiously. Great, just what she needed, some stupid, adolescent rumors spreading because Garfield didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Raven whipped around and threw daggers at him with her eyes. "Stop shouting. You're making a scene," she hissed. He was really starting to get on her nerves. If she wasn't careful, they were going to have a repeat of what happened in the dining hall, only this time, he would be tasting plaster.

Garfield groaned in aggravation before storming over to Raven. He was seething. Raven raised her hands and prepared for whatever battle was coming her way.

Garfield didn't stop walking, though. He didn't stop until he was about a whisper away from Raven's face, causing her to falter a little.

Her heart sped up when she realized how close they were to each other, bodies almost touching. She nearly had a heart attack when he leaned in further, almost closing the distance between them.

"Am I making a scene now?" he whispered intensely.

Raven prayed to Azar that her face was not as red as it felt. She was having trouble organizing her thoughts into a coherent sentence. There was no doubt she was angry with him, but his audacity was so unnerving that she found she had nothing to reply. Her tongue was usually so sharp, what was it about his presence that made it so dull and useless?

Suddenly there was a loud crash outside. Both whipped their heads toward the commotion. It sounded like it was coming from the main street outside the school.

Momentarily forgetting about Garfield, Raven ran to the nearest window and searched for the cause.

The business complex across the street was in bad shape and the street itself was torn up. Sewage pipes were broken and strewn about as if someone or something had wanted what was inside.

An inhuman shriek sounded a few blocks away. Raven nearly jumped when she heard Garfield whisper behind her, "Plasmus"

When she turned around to ask him what the heck he was mumbling about, he was gone. She was eerily alone in the hallway.

Great. The one time he is of use to her, he decides to disappear.

XXXXX

I know. You waited forever and the chapter wasn't even that long. Again, my deepest apologies. I've begun writing chapter 6, but I'm not sure when it'll be up. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

You people kill me. Like seriously the reviews you guys leave me just make me so happy. Enjoy this next chapter. I tried to make it much longer to make up for the shortness of the previous one. Yeah.

**Danimagus: **Holy crap thank you so much! That review basically made my life.

**Apolloll: **I'm glad you enjoyed his outburst. I probably should've mentioned this at the beginning of the story (whoops) but the Titans are older in this particular tale. Like around their 17's/18's-ish. Because it's always more fun to write from a more mature point of view in my opinion. And it makes the romance aspects more intense and real. So thanks.

It's kinda late right now but thank you to everyone else who reviewed! Your comments really motivate me to continue the story. Constructive criticism is always welcomed as well. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

She had to get out of there. Out of that hallway. Out of that school. She had to be sure nobody got hurt.

Suddenly, an announcement blared on the intercom:

"_Attention, all students: Please evacuate to the back lawn immediately. No exceptions. Further instructions will be given there. This is not a drill."_

Raven cursed as she watched dozens of students spill out of the dining hall. No way could she teleport out of here now. Guess she was going to have to find another way off school grounds.

In a way, she envied the other students. They were normal. By no means were they responsible for stopping the creature. All they had to worry about was evacuating and waiting for the "All-Clear".

Raven did not have this luxury. Unlike her peers, she could not just step aside and wait for help. If anything, she was the help. If someone got hurt, the guilt would be hers forever. She appreciated her powers, but they came at a steep price.

Besides, these people had families. People who cared about them, loved them. They would be missed and mourned if something were to happen to them. Raven really had no one, so it was best if the sacrifices were left for her to make.

She darted down the math hallway and unlocked the door to a classroom by muttering her mantra. She was relieved to find that the classroom was empty. She ran to an open window and carefully climbed out onto the ledge and jumped, landing on the soft grass below with a light thud. As she surveyed her surroundings, she concluded that while no one appeared to be guarding the front entrance, the gate was definitely locked.

Teleporting would certainly be faster and easier, but there was no way she could afford to be caught, especially in broad daylight.

Quickly she made her way over to the grand iron gates and used her powers once again to break the lock. Once she was off school grounds she focused on locating the monster. If that creature was still in the area, her senses would tell her.

There he was. About two blocks away. She took off running in the monster's direction, praying nobody from the school had witnessed her escape. She was hoping to intercept the monster before he caused any more destruction, or worse, hurt somebody. She wasn't too keen on giving herself away, but if no one else could stop him, Raven knew she would have to engage.

She could tell she was getting close because the shrieks were very loud now. She stopped before rounding the next block and listened carefully. He was definitely close. What had Garfield called him again? Placenta? Plastic? Plasmus? Plasmus!

Raven cautiously peered around the next corner, not knowing what to expect. She watched in awe as the sludge-like monster tore open the pavement and pulled out the sewage piping. When the creature began downing the toxic waste like it was ambrosia, she nearly gagged.

"Ew," she monotoned.

She began to size up the monster while he was distracted. Judging by the trail of destruction she had followed, the creature definitely possessed an impressive amount of physical strength. She didn't want to make any assumptions about his intelligence just yet, but he seemed to be searching for a source of energy or power. Power. Was that why he was gulping down the waste? Did the waste make the creature stronger?

The sludge-like body also raised some important questions. Was the sludge toxic? Did it burn on contact? Raven wanted to study Plasmus a little more before engaging him, but if her suspicions were correct, she was running out of time. If the waste did in fact make the monster stronger, she would have to act quickly and subdue him before he became too powerful.

Raven reached back to pull her hood up over her face and then realized she was still wearing her ridiculous school uniform. Ugh, great. Nothing like fighting in a skirt and ballet flats. She would just have to make due though.

She closed her eyes and focused on composing herself and gathering her strength. This was it. Her cover would be blown for sure, unless by some miracle there were no witnesses, but even so, it was a small price to pay for the safety of the civilians.

Raven took a deep breath and stepped out in front of Plasmus, who was finishing off the last of the sewage. He certainly reeked, that was for sure. He seemed larger than before as well, confirming her supposition about the effects of the waste.

Plasmus still hadn't noticed her, which gave her the perfect opportunity for the element of surprise. She focused her power and began to chant her mantra, "Azarath, metrion, zin-"

"Titans! Go!"

Raven halted her chant and looked around, confused. Who the heck was that?

Suddenly, the air around her grew smokey as a trio of bombs exploded upon Plasmus, causing him to moan and shriek loudly. Green fire-like explosions rained down on the monster, followed by a blue beam of sonic energy. Disoriented, Raven quickly withdrew back behind the corner of the building and studied the unfolding scene.

Plasmus was clearly overwhelmed, but he regained his footing enough to retaliate, throwing disgusting sludge mercilessly at his opponents. While he was distracted though, a green T-Rex rammed him from behind, causing him to topple into the building Raven was watching from.

She swiftly dove away to avoid the brunt of the building's falling debris, but cried out in agony when a cinderblock landed on her ankle, instantly breaking it. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't afford to draw attention to herself. She winced as she crawled into a nearby alley. When she looked at her ankle, she cursed under her breath. It was definitely broken. She decided to watch the rest of the battle from the safety of the alley and studied the four unknown heroes with intense curiosity.

She'd heard many stories about the meta-humans who lived on earth, but she never thought she'd actually find them here in Jump City. The aggressive, spikey-haired one didn't seem like a meta-human though. Interesting. What was even more interesting was that he seemed to be the group's leader. The more she watched him though, the more she understood why he was placed in charge.

He was fearless, cunning, and quick on his feet. He also honed impressive martial arts skills and strategic prowess. Raven couldn't help but notice how concerned he seemed to be over the alien-looking girl soaring above him. It was subtle, but she could definitely sense how protective he felt towards her.

She couldn't understand why he'd be worried about her though, the girl was practically a weapon of mass destruction. Besides being able to harness and wield the power of a green fire-like energy, the alien also possessed the physical strength of about a thousand earth men. Not exactly a damsel in distress. She was undoubtedly beautiful though, with her cascading raspberry-colored locks and luminous orange skin. She was long and lithe, but at the same time curvaceous. Raven huffed in exasperation. Some girls just have all the luck.

"Booyah!"

Raven's eyes landed on the third member of the strange team, a young man who appeared to be half human, half robot. She was very curious to know how that had happened. It turned out that he was the one who possessed the blue sonic-energy weapon and she assumed that his other strengths dealt with analytical features built into his system as well. She also checked off physical strength when he picked up a nearby SUV and chucked it at Plasmus, who absorbed the blow and simply sent the car flying back at him.

Before the SUV could make contact though, a green pterodactyl swooped in and picked the cyborg up. Once his teammate had been dropped to safety, the pterodactyl morphed into a triceratops and charged Plasmus. The monster seemed unperturbed however as it swiped at the green dinosaur, the blow causing the hero to fly back in Raven's direction. After crashing into the asphalt, the dinosaur un-morphed to reveal a toned, lanky boy with disheveled hair and a green complexion. Raven moved to help him, but grimaced as she remembered her swollen ankle.

The boy didn't seem too hurt because after taking a couple seconds to catch his breath, he got up and jumped back into the fight. His resilience was amazing, as was his agility. The way he could transform into any animal of his choosing at a moment's notice was also quite impressive. There was something so familiar about him though, the way his green eyes gleamed with determination, the teasing grin that played on his lips as he taunted Plasmus.

The battle ended when the spikey-haired leader and the cyborg combined their weapons to create an explosion powerful enough to rip Plasmus apart. When the smoke cleared, all that remained of Plasmus was a small, sleeping man, completely unfazed by the wreckage he had left in his wake.

Raven realized that the police would soon be there and that she needed to leave before someone noticed her. She hadn't done anything wrong necessarily, but she knew her presence at the scene would be very suspicious. Most people ran from these monsters and avoided danger. But she had tracked Plasmus, followed him with interest. Maybe she could fool the police with a lie, but not these four heroes and definitely not the leader.

She didn't have enough time to heal her ankle right there in the alley. Her only chance at this point was teleportation.

She shakily stood and leaned on the brick wall for support. She nearly cursed as massive amounts of pain shot from her ankle. She'd broken bones before, but that didn't make this any less excruciating.

Just to be sure there were no witnesses, Raven limped to the opening of the alley and scanned the surrounding area. She was relieved to find that three of the heroes were still standing by the sleeping man, guarding him and making sure no one awakened him. They were a good distance away, and certainly would not notice her teleportation.

Where was the green boy though? She searched the area again, but he was nowhere to be found. She could hear the distant sounds of sirens rapidly approaching. If she was going to teleport, she'd have to do it now. She was about to recite her mantra when a green hawk suddenly landed on the pavement in front of her. Raven froze. Did he see her? Could he smell her? In haste, she tried to withdraw further into the darkness of the alley, but lost her footing and fell, crying out in agony as her ankle twisted and her head smacked into the pavement.

Azar that hurt. She gnawed on her lip to keep herself from shouting a multitude of curses. Her head swam with pain and she was having trouble thinking clearly. She suddenly had the strangest desire to sleep and could feel her eyelids getting heavy.

_No. Don't fall asleep you idiot. Get up. Get up! _

Her body tried to comply, but it just felt so heavy. Sleep sounded so nice right now, maybe she could just take a small nap and then leave?

Right before she drifted off, the green boy suddenly appeared over her, brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

"Raven?"

XXXXX

How do you like them apples? I'm sorry if the action was...well..not action-y. But that was my first time writing a scene like that, so bear with me. Suggestions are always welcome, as well as questions and concerns. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

You guys are seriously the best. I mean it. I find myself fangirling over all your reviews and it's fun to say the least. I wish I could reply to all of your reviews, but it's late and I have a headache. Sorry.

**Danimagus: **YOU. I have nothing to say to you. I'm still crying because you compared my story to the actual series and it's just too much. I can't. I am unable to can. Are you happy?

**Layab The Dark Saiyan: **Hahah nice alternate title. Raven's doing the best she can though. Thank you so much for your review! Just to let you know, I am a huge BBxRae shipper.

**Gweneveire: **Thank you thank you thank you for your review. It helps, really it does. I'm glad somebody enjoyed the placenta line :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

Raven awoke to the incessant beeping of a heart monitor. The strange odor of antiseptic lingered in her nostrils and the scratchy linen sheets made her feel claustrophobic. The air conditioning was on way too high, making the room frigid and unwelcoming.

She could vaguely hear distant chatter. Phones ringing. Announcements on the PA system echoing through the facility. She was aware she was in a hospital, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten there.

Raven blinked a few times and squinted into the too-bright florescent lighting. Her head felt foggy, like she'd been asleep for years. Her body ached like it had been hit by a truck. The ticking clock hanging next to the TV read as 5:03 pm. She'd been out for about four hours.

With effort, she sat up. She growled when she saw that her school uniform had been replaced with a heinous hospital gown.

Her fingers traced the gauze wrapped meticulously around her head. She had forgotten about the head injury. As she shifted in the bed, a sharp pain in her leg reminded her of her other injury as well. The broken ankle.

As she looked around the quiet room, she realized she was alone. Whoever brought her here had placed her in a private room.

It would be risky healing herself like this, when someone could easily walk in at any moment, but she didn't really have much of a choice. She either healed herself now, or somehow limped to her escape. After using her senses to make sure no one was coming, Raven began the healing process.

She started with her head, nearly erasing the large gash completely and reducing the soreness to a dull ache. Now that her mind was much clearer, she could focus on her ankle. It was currently resting in a splint, though still roughly the size of a grapefruit. Gingerly, she placed her hands on her ankle and began to place the bone back together.

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming. Bone pain was one of the worst pains of all, and putting them back together was just as agonizing as breaking them. It seemed like hours, but she finally managed to make the bone whole again. Her ankle would still be tender for a day or two, but that pain was nothing compared to before.

She was just about to remove the splint when she suddenly sensed someone walking to her room. She swiftly laid back on the bed and plastered a drowsy look on her face. Luckily, the swelling in her ankle was apparent and would give the indication the bone was still broken.

A middle-aged nurse popped her head in. "Oh good, you're awake. Are you hungry?" she smiled.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Raven replied politely.

"Are you up to socializing, then? You have a visitor."

Raven furrowed her brow. A visitor? Who could possibly be visiting her? Plasmus?

"Uhh, sure. Send them in."

The nurse gave her another gentle smile before leaving.

In her mind, Raven was preparing for the worst. Her only comfort was that she was the only one who knew her ankle was healed. If she was in danger, at least she retained the element of surprise.

The door to her room opened again, but this time it wasn't the kind nurse that entered. It was the spikey-haired leader from earlier. She made sure to keep her face blank and expressionless. No doubt he was here to interrogate her, find out what she knew and why she was at the scene. She could tell he was trying to portray his body language as friendly and casual, but it didn't fool her for a second. She could feel the intensity of his emotions as he drew closer. His cool exterior wanted her to believe he was playing the "good cop", but inside, the "bad cop" was waiting to pounce.

He stopped at the foot of her hospital bed and offered his hand with an easygoing smile. "Hey Raven, I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes."

Raven took notice of how the last part was phrased more as a statement than a question. "Sure," she replied easily.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the chair next to her bed.

"Not at all."

He made himself comfortable, crossing one leg over the other, sizing her up as he did so. She wondered what he was thinking, what theories were bouncing around in that over-gelled head of his.

Robin's voice interrupted her musings, "Looks like someone's got an admirer."

Her confusion was evident. "What?"

Robin pointed to the small table beside her bed and smiled. "The flowers."

Raven's eyes widened as they fell on the most beautiful bouquet of irises. They were deep blue, almost violet, much like her eyes. She noticed a card next to the vase and snatched it up, reading it carefully.

All it said in sloppy, unfamiliar handwriting, was _"Saw these and thought of your eyes. Get well soon."_

Raven forgot about Robin's presence as she reread the card over and over. There was no name, no way for her to determine who the sender was.

"How's your ankle?"

She jumped at the sound of Robin's voice, but somehow she managed to keep her face impassive as she answered. "Fine. The painkillers are certainly helping to take the edge off."

"And your head?"

"Fine," she supplied evenly. Now that the easy questions were over, she knew it was only a matter of time before his casual air disappeared and they got to the nasty part of the interrogation.

"That was quite a scare you gave us, what with your passing out and all." He waited a few moments before carefully posing his next question. "So tell me Raven, what were you doing there in the first place?"

There it was. He certainly wasn't wasting any time. "Excuse me?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the high schools in Jump City usually don't let out until 2:30, am I right?"

"Yes, that's correct," she monotoned.

"Why weren't you in school during Plasmus' attack, then?" he asked cooly.

Raven narrowed her eyes, "What are you, my truancy officer?"

Robin didn't even flinch. "Why were you present at the scene of the attack? I need to know, Raven."

Still playing the good cop. Raven let out the saddest sigh she could manage before turning to him with a façade of shame on her face. "Alright, do you really want to know?"

Robin scooted closer. "Yes. It's important that you tell me so I know you're safe."

Raven resisted the urge to cock her eyebrow at him. Did he think she harbored a death wish or something?

She took a deep breath before answering, "Alright, fine. I was having a rough first day and on a stupid whim, I decided to ditch the rest of my classes. I know it was wrong, but it's hard being the new girl. I promise I'll never ditch ever again."

She tried not to gag on her words as she spoke. Oh Azar she sounded so pathetic. But that was the point. She needed to convince Robin that she was just some innocent new girl who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The more pathetic she appeared, the less suspicious she became.

Robin appeared to be mulling her story over, lips pursed in concentration. She could sense the conflict in his head as he tried to decide if he believed her or not.

Just when she thought she was off the hook, he spoke up, "Surely you heard Plasmus' screeches though, why did you stay in the area when you knew it was unsafe?"

Raven was quick to bounce back. "I honestly didn't even hear him. I had my headphones in." She sheepishly added, "I tend to listen to my music a little too loudly, I guess. When I saw him though I did try to hide as best as I could. I didn't want to be in your guys' way when you showed up."

"So you'd heard of us before you moved to Jump City?"

Oops. "Of course, everyone knows the Teen Titans," she salvaged.

Robin nodded slowly in approval, even though it was obvious he doubted her story. "Alright then, your story checks out. No more ditching class though, okay?"

She nearly rolled her eyes, but stopped herself. "Scout's honor."

"Thanks for your time Raven, hope your head and ankle feel better," Robin gave a small smile before turning and walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Raven sighed in relief. Finally.

She was definitely going to have to be more careful from now on. Now that the Titans knew who she was, stepping in to help wouldn't be so easy. How many more times could she give the lousy excuse of her music being too loud before they suspected something more?

As soon as her senses gave her the all-clear, Raven ripped off the splint and unraveled the gauze. She then gently took out the IV needle and shut off the EKG machine. Using her powers, she brought her school uniform over to herself and changed out of the ugly hospital gown.

She hesitantly stepped down from the bed and placed a small amount of weight on her tender ankle. She wouldn't be running a marathon anytime soon, but the pain was bearable.

She stripped the hospital sheets with her powers and stowed them in the hamper in the room. The splint was swiftly stored in a cabinet by the window and the gauze was placed in the bottom of the trashcan in the bathroom. It was like she was never even there.

Finally, the flowers. Raven frowned as she admired the lovely bouquet. It seemed like such a shame to leave them here. Decidedly, she picked one out of the vase and tucked it into her skirt pocket. At the last minute, she decided to take the card as well.

Sitting cross-legged on the cold linoleum, Raven concentrated on teleporting to her apartment and recited her mantra, "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!"

Once back in the darkness of her apartment, she sighed and collapsed onto her bed, rubbing her temples in fatigued vexation. This was only her first day, how in Azar's name was she going to get through the rest of the week?

She decided a shower was just what she needed and stripped off her uniform. After turning the water on and waiting for the temperature to heat up, she stepped in and closed her eyes. Her body and mind relaxed as she allowed the hot water to cascade down her sore body.

After standing under the water for about ten minutes, she washed her hair and her body and turned the water off. With a soft towel wrapped around her, she began brushing out her hair and getting ready for bed. Her mind began to wander as she thought about Plasmus and the Titans. About the mysterious flowers. About Garfield.

She noticed how her body stiffened when that particular name came to mind. Garfield. It seemed like years ago that he had knocked into her and clumsily introduced himself.

Maybe she had been a little hard on him today. He was, after the all, the only person to go out of his way to talk to her and be nice to her. It just seemed so odd though that he craved her company the way he did. Anyone else would have taken the hint and given up, but for some reason he didn't.

As she brushed her teeth, she realized that in a way, he reminded her of the green boy from the Titans. There was such a quiet determination about both of them, the way they never gave up even when the odds were against them. There was something else too, but Raven couldn't quite place it at the moment. Like she was missing a piece of her memory or something.

After throwing on underwear and a black nightie, Raven turned out the light and crawled into bed. Even though she was exhausted, she found she was unable to fall asleep. She lay there on her back, staring up at the ceiling for Azar knows how long, before finally succumbing to sleep two hours later.

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Heheheh you thought BB was going to walk in didn't you? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but we all know very well that if BB had come into the room and spoken to Raven she would have pieced it all together in like five seconds. So yeah. Thanks for reading! My classes start up again this week so I'm not really sure when the next update will be. Wahh.


	8. Chapter 8

Finallyyyyyy an update. Thanks for all your patience and lovely comments. You guys are the best, I will never get tired of saying that.

**Guest: **I love you.

**Gweneveire**: I love you.

**rhetorically yours**: You don't like BBxRae? HOW COULD THIS BE? Haha just kidding to each their own. Thank you so much though for your comment, I'm glad this story is pleasing even to those who don't ship this couple.

**Max927**: Oh my goodness thank you for your comment about the slow progression between R and BB. I'm the same way, I cannot stand it when people make these two heroes fall in love in like two seconds, because yeah you're right they are opposites. Personally I think couples like these should start off hating each other and then it slowly grows from respect to friendship to love, etc. Also, I can't really reveal why BB is at school, but I can tell you that it will be explained soon like either in the next chapter or the one after that. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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The next morning Raven found herself coasting through the busy halls of Murakami once again. She was still exhausted from yesterday and had spent much of the night wrestling in and out of nightmares.

She stared at the ground as she walked, not bothering to meet the too-cheerful faces of her peers passing by. After a while, she noticed a second pair of shoes keeping pace with her. She turned to find Terra walking next to her, a particularly apprehensive look adorning her face.

Raven checked her phone. She had time. She stopped and addressed the blonde, sighing.

"Terra."

Terra stopped walking as well and looked Raven in the eye. She could tell Terra had something to ask her, something she just had to know about. Her usually confident demeanor had been replaced by curiosity and...could it be? Jealousy?

Terra was jealous of Raven? Terra, the girl with the enchanting blue eyes and infectious laugh, the girl who could wear anything she wanted, get anyone she wanted. What did Raven have that Terra could possibly be jealous over?

"Raven, I was wondering if I could ask you about something."

"Yeah?"

"Okay, well, I know we don't really know each other and this is really none of my business-"

"Terra," Raven cut her off. "Just spit it out."

Terra took a deep breath before once again reminding Raven how unpredictable she really was. "What's going on between you and Garfield?"

Raven nearly fell over. This was definitely not the question she had been expecting.

"Garfield?" she repeated, slightly confused.

Terra's face became serious. "You know who I'm talking about. Garfield Logan. Green eyes, messy hair, really funny?"

"Not to mention clumsy," Raven mumbled under her breath.

Terra was not amused. "Everyone saw your little fight in the hallway yesterday," she spat, eyes narrowed, arms crossed over one another.

Raven was taken aback. "Excuse me? Are you insinuating what I think you're insinuating?"

Terra ignored her and continued, "Look, I didn't want to have to be the one to tell you this, but he's only being nice to you because you're the new girl. He feels sorry for you."

Raven maintained her poker-face. "And what makes you such an expert on the subject?" she asked skeptically.

"Garfield and I are best friends. In fact, we're practically dating. I mean, come on Raven, you had to know someone like him would never really go for someone like you. You've got a pretty decent figure and all, but..." she trailed off haughtily.

Terra's response was so nasty and disdainful, Raven nearly let Rage get the better of her. Though that last comment stung, Raven kept her face impassive. "As believable as that sounds, I'm late for class now, so I'm going to go. Always a pleasure though, Terra."

So that's what it was. Terra had a thing for Garfield. Raven silently admonished herself for not noticing it before. But why would she be jealous of Raven if things were so great between her and Garfield?

Unless this was all a lie. She'd never even heard Garfield mention Terra's name before and though she barely knew him, he hardly seemed like the cheating or player type.

Raven entered her biology class and slumped into her seat. She could already feel a migraine coming on. Maybe it still wasn't too late to pick up and move somewhere else where the people were less psychotic.

She vaguely registered the sound of someone sitting down next to her. A familiar voice suddenly pulled her out of her trance.

"Hey. Didn't think you'd be here today," Garfield spoke up quietly.

"Huh?" Raven turned to him, puzzled. "Why?"

A perplexed expression appeared on his face and as he peered down to look at her ankle, her tender one to be exact.

"Where are your crutches...?" he faintly whispered.

"What?"

His attention returned to her, but his mind was still heavy with confusion. She could feel his concern for her rise as well. "Nothing," he settled with.

A tense pause followed as the two teens continued to stare at each other, minds filled with questions, mouths shut tight.

The bell rang and Raven broke eye contact to pull out her notebook. She noticed that Garfield continued his gaze a little longer before also doing the same. Soon after, their elderly teacher shuffled into class and began the lesson.

About halfway into the lecture, Raven felt a light tap on her left arm. Without turning to Garfield, Raven whispered, "What?"

"I wanna talk to you about yesterday," he whispered back.

She could hear Terra's little speech ringing through her mind and kept her eyes glued to her notes in front of her. "It's fine. There's nothing to talk about."

"No, it's not fine. I want to apologize."

Raven looked up at their teacher at the whiteboard, who was still rambling on about genetic mutations. The last thing she needed right now was the teacher snapping at them for talking during lecture. The attention would only add fuel to the rumor mill, which was bad for both Raven and her cover. She sighed. "Now? Can't it wait?"

He half-chuckled, half-growled his response. "I'm trying to apologize to you and you're asking me if it can wait? Seriously?"

She could feel her cheeks getting warm with...what? Embarrassment? No, that wasn't quite it. "Guess so."

"Fine, after class, then," he replied gamely, returning to his comics.

When the bell rang signaling the end of the period, Raven gathered her things and adjourned into the busy hallway, with Garfield right on her heels.

When they got to her locker, she stuffed her book bag inside and looked at Garfield expectantly. Before he could even get a word out though, she changed her mind and clamped her hand over his mouth.

His surprise was evident, but she couldn't help but notice the reddish-tint growing on his cheeks. Embarrassed by her forwardness, Raven retracted her hand and touched her index finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet.

"Not here," she monotoned. She wanted to have this conversation somewhere else, somewhere more private and secluded. That way if this conversation went sour, like they normally did, Raven wouldn't have to worry about her peers' ruthless gossip.

She led him down the quiet art hallway in silence, briefly pausing before opening a door and walking out to a small sequestered courtyard. It was empty, and since it was lunchtime, she knew they would be left alone for quite some time.

She sat down at a small table and gestured for him to do the same. He sat across from her, searching her eyes for some kind of clue. Immediately she was reminded of last night's conflict, the reason she had trouble falling asleep.

The similarities between Garfield and the green hero were undeniable, no question. But for the life of her, she couldn't recall the most important similarity of all. She suspected she had experienced some memory loss when she hit her head yesterday, which only made her more frustrated.

The answer was somewhere inside her, she just had to hope that something would trigger the memory. In the meantime, she would have to settle for a conversation.

She realized with trepidation that his gaze was still probing her. As she felt her cheeks warming, she reflexively reached back to pull her hood up before remembering her uniform again.

She tore her gaze away and pretended to admire the lavender roses growing along the wall. "You had something to say?" she monotoned.

"Oh, you mean I'm allowed to talk now?" Garfield asked mockingly, his grin teasing her.

"Garfield."

"Alright, alright. Look, I wanna talk about what happened yesterday. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that..at least, not in public anyway," he began.

Raven looked back at him and furrowed her brow. "I thought this was supposed to be an apology."

Garfield scratched his arm distractedly. "Well, yeah...but you gotta admit, it wasn't entirely my fault we got into that fight."

"You're joking, right?"

"Actually, I'm not. If you recall, I'm not the one who stormed out of the dining hall for no reason," he shot back defensively.

"Oh, so now this is all _my _fault? I don't know why I even bother with you Garfield," Raven retaliated angrily.

"_You _bother with _me_? Oh that's rich, Raven, real rich. Especially when it's been me making the effort all along!"

She could feel Rage getting riled up, ripping through her subconscious, demanding to be let out. "By 'making an effort', do you mean tackling me in the hallway? Stalking my every whereabout even though it's obvious I just want to be left alone!"

"Oh for crying out loud Raven! How many times do I have to tell you that that was just an ACCIDENT!"

He was breathing hard now, his anger and frustration growing just as fast as her own.

Suddenly, Raven's powers lashed out and the bench Garfield was sitting on crumbled, leaving him in a confused heap on the ground.

"What the hell!" he shouted in frustration.

Raven sucked in her breath and desperately tried to calm herself down, but she was just growing more anxious. She abruptly stood and moved to step over Garfield, heading for the door.

"Oh no you don't!"

Raven felt something latch onto her leg and before she could react, she was lying on the cold, stone ground. Ow. She glared at Garfield, who had just as much venom in his eyes as she did.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"No."

She sat up and glowered at him. "Why can't you just leave me alone!" she hissed.

Garfield's face was concentrated with consternation, as if nobody had ever said that to him before. "Why would you want to be alone?" he asked, suddenly quiet.

Raven laughed bitterly and shook her head. If he only knew.

His voice remained quiet as he posed his next question, "Why aren't you on crutches?"

The question caught Raven off guard. "What?"

"You should be on crutches," he asserted.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

He paused before answering. "I know what happened to you yesterday, Raven. And I know for a fact that you should be on crutches right now, not walking around pain-free like it never happened."

She almost corrected him, almost told him that he was wrong, that her ankle was still tender.

"You're delusional," she deadpanned before ripping his hand away and standing up.

Garfield was still on the ground. He seemed to be weighing a set of options in his head. "They were right about you."

"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

"You're a loner. A freak," he stated coldly, standing up as well. It was like he was a completely different person.

Raven could feel the Timid inside herself shaking with fear. Meanwhile Rage was building back up again, insisting it be released. "You're wrong."

"Am I? Face it Raven, you're creepy. Nobody in their right mind is going to want to be friends with someone like you."

Rage was pounding and clawing at the doors now, demanding satisfaction. Why was he torturing her like this? "Stop."

He was relentless as he inched closer to her. "Just admit it, Raven. You're a freak."

"Stay back," she warned.

He stopped and looked her dead in the eye. "You will never have any friends."

"NO!" she screamed. With that, Rage found its foothold, and in its pure recklessness, shattered the glass of the once-pristine windows. Raven seemed to take a back seat in her own mind as Rage grew stronger.

Garfield was helpless as a seemingly-possessed Raven used her dark energy to pick him up and chuck him into the wall. He landed with a thud and groaned deeply.

Raven desperately tried to reign Rage back in as she gasped for sanity. If she didn't regain control soon, her fury could seriously injure Garfield, or worse, kill him.

Garfield was already up and posed to fight, determination radiating from his eyes. Those eyes...

"RAVEN STOP!" he called to her. His aura was different. He was back to his kind self, the one who drew comics and tripped over air. The one sought out her company and treated her like a real person when no one else did.

The transformation of his aura caused Rage to falter, and Raven took the opportunity to lock the destructive emotion back inside her mind.

When the usual subdued tranquility resumed in her mind, she felt her eyes close as she collapsed to the ground, exhausted. She heard Garfield rush over, concern pouring from his every essence.

"Raven are you alright? Raven?...Raven!"

Raven slowly opened her eyes. She was looking at him for what seemed like the first time. There was a distinct sadness in his eyes, and his voice was dripping with regret. "I'm sorry, Raven. I'm so sorry...but I had to know," he murmured shamefully.

His concern for her had knocked the memory back into her mind like a punch in the gut.

He was the green boy, the changeling.

XXXXX

The dialogue between BB and Raven is probably my favorite part of writing this story. Let me know what you liked, didn't like, etc. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry, but I will not be replying to anyone's reviews today because I'm a little crunched on time. Thank you so much though for all your reviews they really do help and encourage me to keep writing.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

"Get the hell away from me," Raven growled, brusquely shoving him away.

Garfield winced, the hurt shining through his sad eyes. Raven felt no guilt though. Instead, she just felt hollow and empty.

While she'd been sure the Titans had been keeping an eye on her, she didn't think she'd been sharing a desk with one the entire time. In a way, she felt like Garfield had betrayed her.

Garfield had claimed to be her friend, to be the one person who actually cared about her here, and ironically, it turned out Terra had been more honest in her intentions than he had. Which was pretty sad.

There was no way she could stay in Jump City now. Garfield was sure to report this to his arrogant leader, Robin, who would in turn demand that they monitor her more closely, or worse, jail her. And if they ever discovered her lineage, she was undoubtedly screwed.

She was half-demon, after all. Not exactly the hero type.

She'd been here for about a month, and already her new life was in danger. She'd come to earth looking for a new start, and instead only felt more like an outsider than ever before.

Her only chance would be to leave now and start again somewhere else. Somewhere without meta-humans and psychotically jealous Abercrombie models.

Hesitantly, Raven stood, testing her weight on her wobbly legs while Garfield watched her silently from the cold ground. She was still a little light-headed and shaky from her "emotional outburst", but other than that, she was fine.

She turned and examined the broken glass in the courtyard. The small, sharp pieces glittered in the afternoon sunlight, appearing harmless rather than the result of her destructive wrath.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she chanted, using her dark energy to lift the broken shards and piece them back together in the window pane. There.

She turned back to Garfield, who was a little slack-jawed from her demonstration of power. There was an uncomfortable and sobering pause before he realized what her next move would be.

He cleared his throat and studied at her carefully. "You're leaving now. Aren't you?" he asked quietly.

Raven nodded slowly, making sure to avoid his fervent green eyes.

"Raven, you can't," he said mournfully.

She looked at him in surprise. "Yeah? Try and stop me," she deadpanned.

Garfield got to his feet and reached out to her. "Raven stop. Don't do this, don't just disappear. Let me explain-"

Her eyes flashed in anger, taking a step back. "Explain what? How you lied to me? How you manipulated my emotions until you got whatever information you needed? It was all an act!"

Garfield mussed his hair in frustration, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Look, I know you think the universe revolves around you, Raven, but that's not what's going on here."

She could feel the words slipping out of her like bile now, stinging her tongue and throat, unapologetically acrid. "So you bullying me into unleashing my powers was all for the sake of the greater good? Gee, how could I be so stupid and not realize that before!" she sniped.

"Don't you get it, Raven? I'm on _your _side!" he retaliated, fists clenched.

"Really, now? You certainly have a funny way of showing it," Raven mocked.

Garfield groaned. "Look, I couldn't be honest with you because I'm-" he stopped suddenly and looked away from her, like he had almost slipped up and opened Pandora's box.

She crept closer to him, her mind abuzz with hundreds of new questions. "Because you're what, Garfield?"

"Nothing. Forget it," he answered solemnly.

"Fine." Raven huffed and turned on her heel, giving up on the conversation.

She was about to leave for good when another question burned into her mind; there was just one thing she had to know before she left.

"Is your name even Garfield?" she mumbled quietly. She let the question hang in the air and waited patiently.

She could feel his hesitation to answer, to let her in. He seemed to warring with himself in his mind, weighing the pro's and cons and ultimately trying to figure out if he trusted her or not.

"Yes."

Raven tried to ignore the spark that ignited in her when she heard the barest hint of trust in his voice.

So he trusted her enough to tell her that. The question now searing in her mind was, how much more did he trust her? She decided to test the waters and turned to meet his expressive eyes.

"Is that your only name? Or do you go by another?" she inquired. Really she was referring to his meta-human self, but figured he wouldn't answer so blunt a question unless phrased vaguely.

"I have another name," he stated simply.

Raven nodded slowly in understanding. "Which is the real 'you'?" she wondered warily.

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "What I'm asking is, is _this_ your true appearance?" she gestured to him.

He shuffled his feet distractedly before crossing his arms over his chest. There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he answered her. "At one point...yes, this was. But it's not anymore."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

His posture stiffened and his emotions became unreadable. He was closing himself off to her. "I know what you're doing, Raven, but it's not gonna work. I really wanna tell you everything, okay? I really do. But I can't. I have my orders and there's too much at stake here," he said sternly.

"Well then, I guess we're finished here," Raven monotoned coldly, turning to go.

Garfield reached out for her again, this time securing her arm firmly. "Raven, come on, don't be like that."

He sounded so tired, so unlike the cheerful, happy-go-lucky boy she had met yesterday.

It suddenly occurred to her that the lighthearted demeanor was a façade, that deep down, he was more two-dimensional than she had given him credit for. She wasn't going to let this epiphany slow her resolve though.

"Let me go," she commanded.

"No. It's your turn to answer some questions now," he replied placidly.

Raven couldn't help but scoff at his audacity. "Even after discovering how dangerous I really am, you still think you can intimidate me?"

If Garfield was scared, he was certainly doing a great job of hiding it with that smirk. "I'm not just some kid, Raven. I could take you if I had to."

Raven hated how her spine chilled at that last part. He was such an unnerving presence, the way he could just switch his innocence on and off like that. One minute he's begging her not to leave, the next he's plainly telling her that if he had to, he could fight her.

"Wanna test that theory?" Raven suddenly inquired.

The question caught him off guard. "Huh?"

"Let's go. Right now. You and me."

"Uhh-"

"And if I win, you and the Titans have to leave me alone. Forever."

Garfield rolled his eyes. "Raven, you know I can't make that promise."

Raven simply shrugged. "No one would have to know. You could just tell your leader that you somehow...lost track of me."

She could tell she was wearing him down, but he wasn't ready to fold just yet. "I'm not gonna fight you, Raven, especially right here where people can see us," he maintained.

Raven crossed her arms and set her trap. "We wouldn't be using our powers. Just hand-to-hand combat."

While hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly Raven's specialty, she had gathered from the battle with Plasmus yesterday that it wasn't really Garfield's thing either. As far as she could tell, he was more accustomed to fighting as an animal rather than an actual human.

This was her chance of getting out of here. All she needed was enough time to teleport and she was in the clear. At least for now, anyway.

His green eyes were cloudy as he thought her arrangement over. She could sense the conflict in his mind, the decision weighing heavily on him.

While his face remained stoic, she could sense the flicker of temptation and excitement growing inside him. Garfield wanted to fight her, he just wouldn't make the first move.

Well, alright then. If that's the way he wanted it...

Raven did a quick leg sweep and knocked Garfield's legs out from under him, causing him to land on his butt with a thud.

She expected him to get angry, to shout and whine and hiss. Imagine her surprise when he simply latched onto her ankle and yanked her leg out from under her in one harsh tug.

She landed on her back, wincing at the rough impact. She glared at Garfield, but nearly blanched when she caught the predatory look in his eye. He may have looked human, but his instincts were that of an animal.

Slapping away his hand, Raven stood and backed away, setting herself in a defensive stance. She marveled at his agility as he leapt up and charged her, raising one arm in preparation for a punch.

Raven focused and dodged his attack, taking the opportunity to land a well-placed kick on his lower back. The contact propelled him forward, but instead of stumbling, he did a front handspring and landed on his feet, facing her.

She had definitely underestimated his fighting abilities.

He charged her once again, but this time she wasn't quick enough and he was able to land a solid punch to her left shoulder, hoping to temporary immobilize her. Raven fought back a curse and retaliated by elbowing him hard in the stomach.

Garfield grunted, the air knocked out of him. He sank to the ground as his breath caught in his throat. Raven stood over him, panting, confident that she had won.

The fight wasn't over though. Seeing his chance, Garfield kicked at Raven's tender ankle and she cried out in agony as she felt the newly-mended bones crack. Her mind swam with pain as she collapsed on top of Garfield, the air once again pounded out of his lungs with her impact.

They both lay there like that for a while, panting and breathless, their bodies bruised and battered. Raven's ankle throbbed, and she knew getting up would not be an easy task.

"What gave me away?" she wondered faintly.

Garfield's breathing was labored as he answered. "I had my suspicions when I found you yesterday at the scene of Plasmus' attack. But it wasn't until I saw your ankle today that I knew something was up."

Raven silently absorbed this information.

"It was mainly Robin's idea. He was the one who suggested that I push you, until you reached your limit and cracked," he continued. "There was just something about you that didn't fit. Something different."

Her scalp tingled and she realized Garfield was absentmindedly stroking her hair. Her eyes caught the beautiful lavender roses in the distance and a small smile bloomed on her lips. Somehow, they had been spared of Rage's wrath, and in a strange way, that comforted Raven.

A little reluctantly, Raven pushed his hand away and sat up, her head feeling a little light as she did so. Though Garfield didn't say anything, his body reacted and she could feel his disappointment, his unwillingness to let her go, radiating off of him.

Raven chose to ignore this, however. It was time for her to leave.

As she got up, she made sure to knee Garfield hard, right in the groin. He moaned audibly and curled up into the fetal position, clutching his crotch and allowing every curse under the sun to spill from his lips.

Raven had to stifle a laugh as she pulled away and carefully stood up. Her ankle caught and she had to bite her lip to keep from herself from screaming. After limping over to the farthest corner of the courtyard, she pulled herself into the lotus position and prepared for teleportation.

She looked at Garfield just in time to see the miserable expression adorning his pained face. He coughed and shook his head at her, "Don't do this, Raven."

To her credit, her face remained impassive as she slowly chanted her mantra. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

In the blink of an eye, Garfield was left all alone in the courtyard.

XXXXX

Gahhhh that one took a lot out of me. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Aaahhh getting into the double-digits! Again, I apologize for the action/fight scenes. I know they're not that great, but as I've said before, I am unaccustomed to this kind of writing. So, as usual, please bear with me.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

In a flash, Raven materialized in her small, almost non-existent, living room. It was late afternoon outside, but with all the curtains closed and blocking the sunlight, anyone inside would think it was past midnight.

She let out the breath she had apparently been holding and collapsed onto the blue worn carpet. Her dainty fingers gripped at the scratchy texture, knuckles turning white, the tension from her confrontation with Garfield demanding release. Her breathing trembled and her stomach heaved and for a moment she considered vomiting.

The emotional backlash from today was beginning to wear on her. With shaky hands, Raven examined her right ankle. It wasn't broken, but it certainly hurt like hell. She closed her eyes and focused on repairing the damage.

No good. She was still too exhausted from Rage's eruption and her fight with Garfield to substantially heal anything right now. She needed rest.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

Wait.

Something wasn't quite right. The air inside the apartment felt...different, somehow.

Raven carefully stood up and kept quiet, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Though she couldn't hear anything, her senses were on high alert. Someone else was inside with her.

How? She was sure she had bolted the lock before she left for school that morning. She eyed the front door incredulously. It was still locked, exactly the way she had left it.

Even if it didn't make sense, Raven didn't have time to worry about the logistics of the matter. Her priority was now protection against the unwelcome guest.

As soundlessly as she could manage, Raven edged to her bedroom to investigate for the intruder. She desperately tried not to grimace every time she put weight on her swollen ankle. If the intruder was watching her, she wanted them to know that even if she was injured, she was perfectly capable of defending herself.

She entered her dark bedroom and scanned the area. Nobody. Instead of feeling relief, she only felt more anxious. She prayed to Azar she didn't look as weak as she felt. If the intruder was dangerous, Raven would have no choice but to defend herself. After all, if she didn't, who else would?

She sidled to the bathroom, wary of who or what she might find. The door was still cracked from this morning, but Raven wasn't the type to trust solely based on appearances. Mustering what strength she could, she raised her left leg and kicked the door open.

The only sound that could be heard was the door hitting the bathtub, creaking as it slowly made its way back to her.

But there was no one. Just darkness.

She furrowed her brow, perplexed. Where the hell were they?

"Hello Raven," a hauntingly calm voice spoke from behind her.

Raven nearly jumped and whipped around to finally face her intruder.

He nearly blended in with the darkness of the apartment. He seemed to be wearing a black bodysuit with metallic armor accents. He also wore a belt that seemed to hold an assortment of gadgets and weapons.

The worst was his face. There was nothing human about it. It was a mask, one half ebony, the other half a coppery-orange metal. There was no visible eye on the darkened half, while the other revealed a sinister gaze that seemed to bore holes into her mind.

He was like no one she had ever seen before in all her life. His mere presence chilled her to the core.

He was tall and foreboding, his muscles massive and toned. There was something so malicious about his aura, about the way he was just standing there, blatantly ogling her.

Raven couldn't help but sneer in repugnance. "Who the hell are you? And how do you know my name?"

The intimidating man didn't even flinch. "Now, now, Raven. Let's not be rude. I only stopped by so we could have a little chat."

Raven scoffed. "What could you and I possibly have to 'chat' about? We're not talking about anything until you tell me who you are and how you know my name."

"Careful, Raven, I know all about your nasty little temper. Wouldn't want to repeat the earlier events of today now, would we?" he taunted.

Her strong front faltered and her eyes widened in shock. How did he know about...?

He was bluffing, he had to be. Raven narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, her voice as cold as she could manage. "I have no idea who you are or what you're talking about, but you need to get the hell out of my apartment right now."

His eye narrowed malevolently. "Let's not make empty threats now, Raven. I doubt that ankle could take one more kick before it snaps in half...again."

Raven swallowed hard as she tried to maintain her composure. She could feel her heart rate picking up, the beginnings of a sweat percolating on her skin. Oh Azar, she wished she weren't so tired. She wished her ankle wasn't on the verge of breaking. She wished she had actually eaten lunch. More than anything, she wanted to kick this guy's ass right now.

But she'd be going into battle injured, tired, and strategically blind. She knew nothing about his fighting technique, his strength, agility, nothing. The odds of her winning this fight were not very high at the moment.

She had no choice though. Whatever this creep wanted, there was no way she was going down without a fight.

She took a deep breath and straightened up her posture, endeavoring to look as confident as she possibly could. "Alright, what do you want?" she asked, jutting her chin up in defiance.

The man seemed to smile underneath the mask, once again sending chills up Raven's spine. Her skin felt like it was crawling and as she shuddered, she noted that throwing-up didn't seem so bad right now. "Excellent. I see your curiosity has finally gotten the better of you."

"I'm only asking so you'll leave me alone," Raven snarled.

His smile held as he replied cruelly, "I hate to disappoint you, Raven, but I'm afraid my proposition will leave you anything but."

Raven huffed and crossed her arms. "Spare me the dramatics and just tell me your so-called 'proposition'."

"Did you really think I was just going to tell you right now? How careless of me to give you the wrong impression, I merely wanted to make my presence known. I've been watching you, Raven, and I'm going to keep watching you. And when the time is right, my proposition will be made to you more...explicitly."

"And what if I'm not interested?" Raven growled.

The man simply ignored her, turning to go. "I'll be in touch, Raven."

Did he really think he could just break into her apartment, threaten her with cryptic messages, and then just leave? Obviously he hadn't been watching Raven very carefully, otherwise he would've known she wouldn't take this crap so submissively.

With everything she had left in her, she roared her mantra. "AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!"

Thoroughly catching the unwelcome guest off-guard, she used her powers to grab his legs and smashed him into her bedroom wall. He let out a grunt as he collided with the dry plaster, dust heaving into the air and giving the room a foggy effect.

Raven wasn't finished though. With her dark energy still wrapped around his legs, she then tossed him up into the ceiling, not caring if the roof itself fell down on her. As more plaster fell, she released her hold and allowed him to free fall, getting a sick thrill out of the way his brutish body slammed into the carpet.

With adrenaline pumping feverishly throughout her body, she forgot about her ankle and strode over to him. She leaned down and confidently ripped his mask off, convinced that this man would never bother her again.

She gasped and backed away, dropping the mask. There was no face under the mask, just a small television screen. This was no man, this was a drone, a robot. Suddenly, the small screen flickered to life and the same man Raven could've sworn she just took down, appeared.

"Excellent work, Raven. It seems I have underestimated your gifts. The next time we meet, I'll be careful not to make that same mistake again. As I said before, we'll be in touch."

Before Raven could even reply, the screen went black and a countdown sequence materialized, starting from "10".

Raven's stomach dropped. As quickly as she could, she placed her most valuable books and possessions into the chest at the foot of her bed. She then teleported the chest to the alley behind the building. It would be safe there until she returned to claim it.

She frantically looked back at the screen. Four seconds remaining.

With no time to teleport herself, Raven did the only thing that seemed rational.

She sprinted to the nearest window and crashed through unapologetically.

About a second later, the drone detonated, and the building heaved as the small apartment was crudely blasted to bits. Raven closed her eyes and covered her neck as glass and debris rained down around her. She could feel the heat of the fire on her back as she fell, singeing the barest ends of her hair.

She had barely made it. When she opened her eyes however, she remembered she wasn't safe quite yet. She had jumped from the seventh floor, not exactly her best idea.

Oh, and to top it all off, her vision was beginning to black out.

Great, she was going to pass out and then unceremoniously fall to her death.

Fighting off her light-headedness, Raven struggled to achieve levitation, forgetting all about her plan to keep her powers a secret. But screw her cover, she just wanted to survive this fall.

Her vision began to blur as her body begged for sleep.

_No! Stay awake you idiot! Focus!_

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" she cried desperately as the concrete grew closer and closer to her. If this didn't work, she was definitely going to die.

Her creeping unconsciousness wasn't making it very easy for her powers to comply with her demands, but miraculously, Raven felt herself begin to slow in the air. Though she wasn't able to attain complete levitation, by the time she reached the unforgiving ground, she had nearly slowed to a complete stop.

Lightly, she touched down onto the rough asphalt of the street. Still clad in her stupid school uniform, Raven clumsily loosened the black tie and undid the top button of her sullied white shirt.

She coughed as the smoke from the explosion invaded her lungs. She felt like she was having trouble breathing, her eyelids drooping and her head growing foggy as unconsciousness made another attempt to lure her in.

In an attempt to wake herself up, she carelessly kicked off her ruined ballet flats and tried to remember where the chest containing her belongings was.

The alley.

Raven gracelessly made her way over to the alley behind her building, stumbling every now and then on stray debris.

It seemed like forever, but she finally reached the opening and located the chest. Raven fought back a curse as she tugged the chest out of the alley and into the empty street.

She could vaguely register the sound of sirens in the distance. The fire department would be here soon, no doubt the police as well.

Groggily, she looked up at the shoddy building, the fire still ablaze where her apartment used to be. It then occurred to her that there might be people inside who needed her help.

But in her current state, she had to wonder how much help could she possibly be. If she went in to help and passed out, she'd only be putting those people in more danger.

But she had to do something.

Pushing the chest back onto the sidewalk, Raven gathered her bearings and focused her senses on the number of people in the building.

She wasn't completely sure, but there seemed to be at least sixteen people inside. Better start with the top floor, let the fire department work from the bottom.

Raven was just about to create a disk for levitation when she heard a familiar voice call out to her from behind. "Raven, wait!"

Garfield. She stopped and cursed bitterly. How could she have forgotten about the Teen Titans?

With wobbly legs, Raven turned to face the heroes. She knew she probably looked like hell to them. Her hair was singed and smelled terrible. Her face was scratched and bloody and covered in grime, along with the rest of her body. Her uniform was tattered and sticky from her sweat. Her ankle was bruised and throbbing, her knees crimson with blood.

Well, she certainly looked half-demon.

Robin authoritatively stood at the front of the team, a stern, unwavering glare on his face. Raven doubted she was his favorite person at the moment, considering all the lies she had shamelessly fed to him in the hospital.

The alien girl hovered above him, eyes aglow with a bright green, but not exactly threatening. Raven sensed an indecisiveness about her, like she couldn't decide if she wanted to punch Raven or simply hug her. Raven struggled to decide which sounded worse.

And then there _he_ was. Garfield had clearly shed his more "inconspicuous" appearance, proudly taking on the form of his green, meta-human self. He did not look happy to see Raven at all and his mind was completely closed off to her. She briefly wondered if he was still mad at her for kneeing him in the groin earlier.

With a foreboding frown on his face, the cyborg stood protectively next to Garfield, arms up, fists clenched, ready for a fight. No doubt about it, Garfield had definitely told his team about their little dispute at school.

Truthfully, Raven really had nothing to say to them. She had already pleaded her case to Garfield (if you could call that "pleading"), and that had led nowhere.

Right now there were people inside that building, and she refused to waste precious time arguing with the Titans.

She chanted her mantra, creating a dark disk for levitation. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!"

As she stepped on, Garfield spoke up. "Raven, stop. You're going to get yourself hurt."

Raven didn't look back as she replied solemnly, though she did find it a bit surprising the amount of concern embedded in his voice. "There are people inside that need to be evacuated."

"Then stay here, let us handle it. You could be seriously injured," he replied.

Raven turned around, incredulous that the conversation had lasted this long. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. Those people in the building? Not so much if we don't hurry," she spat.

Robin jumped in, brow furrowed. "This isn't up for debate. You're staying here. End of discussion."

"Last time I checked, you're not my superior. I'm going in there whether you like it or not. _End of discussion_," she retaliated sardonically.

Just when Raven thought Robin was going to try to throttle her, the alien girl suddenly grew panicked, shouting, "Look out!"

Raven looked up just in time as the remnants of a collapsed wall descended upon her.

She didn't remember much after that, just a familiar voice. So gentle and so concerned, regret radiating off him like a sun.

XXXXX

Lord have mercy. As much as I enjoyed writing that..._phew_.

So yeah, I didn't wanna have to be the one to tell you guys this, but I might not be able to update the next chapter this week. I have a six page paper due a week from now and as you can imagine, that will have to be my number one priority. Sorry. So please bear with me for the next couple of weeks because I'm not exactly sure how this is gonna play out.

But yeah please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Did I capture Slade correctly? Did I completely screw things up? Let me know. Your comments really do help, I swear! Thanks for reading as always. I love you guys.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright, so my paper got pushed back to next Monday, so I figure this week I'll post a new chapter but possibly not next week. But thanks for all your kind words and encouragement! Especially about the paper I still have to do. I hope you all like this chapter. My fingers were craving the keyboard and I simply could not resist.

**SailorSea: **Heheheh I'm glad Slade was a surprise for you and thank you for your great feedback about his character and the story. I'm pretty sure we all know what he's up to, but that's all I'm gonna say about it for now :)

**Lord-of-Change: **Gahhhh omg thank you thank you! I was hoping Slade would surprise at least a few of you, but this is just way more than I could've hoped for. Your feedback has truly touched my soul and for that, I thank you, most humbly.

**Guest: **You think my fight sequences are really good? THANK YOU! I mean, I kind of have to disagree with you because I have definitely read better fight scenes in other fics, but still, thank you that really means the world to me that you would write that.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

What seemed like decades later, Raven groggily awoke to the sound of another unabating heart monitor. She couldn't help but groan.

Ugh. Not again. Her newfound propensity for danger was really starting to get on her nerves.

As she shifted in the soft bed, her body responded with an immense aching. She felt like a building had fallen on her.

Oh..wait...it was all coming back to her now.

The explosion.

The Titans.

The debris knocking her out.

The blissful darkness.

Raven slowly sat up and gingerly rubbed her head, examining the rest of her pale body as she did so. Though there was no doubt her body was sore, there was no sign of any external damage. No bruises, no cuts or scars, nothing. Even her ankle felt good as new.

The tell-tale signs of a Raven healing trance.

With her health accounted for, Raven turned her attention to her environment, squinting into the darkness of the room.

The sounds here may have resembled those in a hospital, but something about it was just a little...off.

When she noticed the windows next to her, she used her powers to pull back the curtains, hoping to illuminate the room somehow.

She frowned. It was dark outside, probably well past three in the morning. She'd been out for quite a while apparently.

Moving on, she reached out with her powers and flicked on the small lamp on the bedside table next to her, nearly gasping as she took in her surroundings.

While she was certain she was in some kind of infirmary, she was definitely not in the hospital she had woken up in yesterday. The equipment was a lot nicer for one thing, top of the line in fact.

But as she looked closer at the tech and machinery she realized it wasn't just top of the line, it was custom, specially made for someone or something that required more than just an EKG monitor and a saline drip to nurse them back to health.

She noticed a file cabinet in the far corner and her fingers itched to investigate. Her priorities suddenly changed however, when her senses picked up on something.

She listened carefully with her senses, the small hairs standing up on her arms when she realized there were four people congregating outside her room.

Four people...?

You don't think...?

Raven nearly fell to the floor in sardonic disbelief. No. There was no way.

As she listened she was able to discern that the mysterious bodies were talking about something rather intense.

Probably her, now that she thought of it.

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled the bed sheet off of her, annoyed that she was still dressed in her tattered school uniform.

In a way, she was a little thankful though. Better to wake up in her uniform than in a hospital gown. At least she knew no one here had seen her naked ass.

Quietly, she crept over to the infirmary door, pressing an ear up against the cold metal.

"You're not thinking clearly, Beast Boy. She's dangerous. She needs to be restrained before she wakes up," a serious voice she recognized as Robin continued sternly.

So her suspicions were correct. She was in Titans Tower. Raven suppressed the urge to scoff. Like hell were they going to restrain her.

"Sorry BB, but I gotta agree with Robin. I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't look like the girl can be trusted," the cyborg put in dismally.

Garfield, aka Beast Boy apparently, refused to back down. "Alright, I know it looks bad, but I'm not gonna let you guys just tie her to the bed! I know her better than any of you. Yeah, she's dangerous, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person!"

Raven nearly smiled at that.

Emphasis on the "nearly".

"But Beast Boy," the beautiful alien questioned cautiously. "How well do you really know her, if at all?"

Beast Boy seemed to falter for a moment before sighing and responding seriously. "Look, I don't expect you guys to understand, but there's just something about her...I dunno."

He paused, as if thinking something over, before continuing, "Can I at least talk to her alone before you guys barge in and begin the interrogation?"

The question hung in the air tautly and for a moment Raven thought she was going to have to fight her way out of there. Then, mercifully, Robin sighed. "Alright, you have ten minutes. But we'll be watching from out here."

Beast Boy's spirit livened. "Thanks."

Her eyes widened when she heard him approaching the door. Hastily she went back to the bed and climbed under the sheets, attempting to calm her nerves and appear as disoriented as possible.

She had just barely put her head on the supple pillow when the door slid open and Beast Boy appeared. His aura radiated nervousness, but his contrasting exterior was calm and cool.

His stoney demeanor reminded her of the fight they had shared earlier, how crass they had been with each other then. She wondered which side of Garfie-errr, Beast Boy, she'd be talking with this time.

Without asking her permission, he sat at the foot of the bed and stared at her intently. Raven didn't really care though. They were both obviously way past that awkward stage of forced politeness and weird social niceties.

His voice was harsh when he finally spoke. "Cut the crap, Raven. I know you were listening to our conversation."

Raven growled and sat up in the bed, irritated that he knew her so well.

"Why the hell am I here? Couldn't you just dump me off at some hospital like last time?" she asked coldly.

Beast Boy sighed exasperatedly and scooted closer. "I don't know how many times I have to say this, but, despite what you think, Raven, I'm on your side. Maybe if you'd stop being so stubborn, you'd realize that I'm your ally and not your enemy."

Raven feigned surprise. "Really? Tell me, do you hold all your so-called allies against their will like this? Or am I just that special?"

"Hey, you're lucky we're helping you at all, especially after the stunt you pulled back at the apartment. And it could be worse, Raven. We could've placed you in restraints," he retorted indignantly.

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "You really think that would hold me?"

He paused briefly before smirking, laughter alighting in his playful green eyes. "Now that I think of it, no, I don't...But doesn't that mean anything to you? That we chose not to restrain you?"

"From what I heard, it seems like you are the only one on your team confident in that decision, so no," she snorted bitterly.

His gaze seemed to soften, and for the first time Raven noticed how close they were in proximity. "Yeah, well, they haven't really spent any time with you like I have, so how would they know, right?" he added quietly.

Raven felt her icy resolve weaken. No matter how livid or frustrated she was with him, deep down, in a very hidden part of her that would never admit to it otherwise, she was grateful for all he had done for her.

She knew it probably hadn't been the easiest argument trying to get his teammates to trust his judgment of her, to allow her into their base and home so freely.

If he was willing to go against his team for her, maybe he wasn't such a pest after all. Maybe she needed to stop focusing on herself so much, and really look at what was happening around her. Maybe-

"Beast Boy. Step outside for a moment. We need to talk." Robin interrupted over the loud-speaker.

Raven snapped out of her sentimental thoughts and leaned back on the bed, crossing her arms.

Beast Boy visibly stiffened, but continued his gaze, ignoring Robin.

Robin's voice came back loud and clear. "Beast Boy. Now."

Beast Boy sighed and exited the room, leaving Raven alone for about a minute before re-entering and carefully taking his place once more on the bed.

A slight tension hung in the air as they both sat and waited for the other to speak, neither daring to make the first move.

"So," Beast Boy began, smirking.

Raven said nothing, merely returning his smirk.

Realizing that this was going nowhere, Beast Boy exhaled and tousled his forrest green hair distractedly. "Raven, we need to talk about what happened at you're apartment."

"Is this supposed to be the part where you interrogate me and make me spill all my dirty little secrets?" she mocked.

He rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, choosing his words. "Think of it more as like a little...chat. Between allies, of course," he put in playfully, a small smile peeking from his lips.

Raven's blood ran cold at the mention of "chat".

The drone in her apartment.

The man on the small screen.

How could she have forgotten?

Beast Boy eyed her, concerned. "Uhh, hey, Raven? You okay? You look a little paler than usual."

Instinctively, she reached for her hood, but then remembered the uniform. "I'm-I'm fine," was the only response she could muster.

"What's wrong? Is it something I said?" he inquired, hesitantly reaching for her arm.

Raven backed away from him, snatching her arm out of his reach. "Don't," she warned.

Beast Boy only inched closer. "Don't shut me out, Raven. Tell me what's going on. Did something happen?"

A part of her really wanted to tell him, to trust him and just unload everything. Another part of her just wanted to slap him.

But a small cough outside reminded her that there were three other people watching this that wouldn't trust her, wouldn't believe her.

Not that she blamed them, of course. They had every reason not to.

"It's nothing," she evaded lamely.

Beast Boy only rolled his eyes. "You should know by now that that answer isn't going to satisfy me."

Raven just looked at the floor.

"C'mon, just tell me. You can trust me, Raven," he prodded again gently.

She couldn't tell him. She wouldn't.

He tried again, but this time more bluntly. "Raven, what aren't you telling me?...What triggered the explosion in your apartment?"

Raven looked up and met his understanding eyes. And she knew.

She had to tell him. This man was dangerous and psychotic. If she kept her mouth shut and chose to be a coward, someone would get hurt. And Raven already had enough blood on her hands as it was.

"Raven..." he urged quietly.

She sighed tiredly. "Alright, there is something I need to tell you."

Beast Boy looked at her and waited patiently.

Her words suddenly caught in her throat and she stared begrudgingly at the door.

"It's okay, I won't let them do anything to you," he reassured her, as if he had heard what she was thinking.

Raven nodded slowly in understanding, though not quite believing he had such influence over the group.

Here goes nothing.

"So," she began hesitantly. "After our little...argument, I went back to my apartment."

He nodded, but said nothing and waited for her to continue.

Feeling a little more confident, she proceeded. "Well, when I got back...there was a man there waiting for me."

Beast Boy's brow furrowed in alarm and concern, but still he said nothing.

Raven eyed him carefully. "He said he wanted to talk to me about something. He knew things about me. About my name, about...other things. I know I sound paranoid, but he even admitted that he had been watching me for the past..who knows how long."

"Then what happened?" he asked softly.

She swallowed hard before finishing. "He said he would be in touch and I lashed out in frustration. But when I pulled off his mask...it wasn't him. It was a drone rigged to explode after a certain amount of seconds. In order to avoid the brunt of the explosion, I had to jump out the window."

Beast Boy was resting his head in his hand, his eyes shining with guilt. He was quiet for a long time before speaking, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "Raven, what did he look like?"

Raven exhaled slowly. "Tall, disquieting, with a haunting voice that creeps up your spine. As I mentioned before, he also wore a mask. I mean, I guess it wouldn't be that creepy if there were two eyes showing instead of just that one-"

Robin abruptly interrupted, his hard voice booming over the loud-speaker. "Beast Boy. Out here. Now."

Beast Boy didn't waste any time and swiftly departed from the room.

All Raven could really do was sit back and wait.

Though Robin didn't seem too pleased with the identity of the man in her story, she was relieved the Titans hadn't kicked down the door to drag her away in handcuffs. Hopefully this meant that her name was cleared and she could go on with her life.

Although with the foreboding masked man's threat hanging over her, she seriously doubted that this moment was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Whoever this man was, he was obviously a big deal to the Titans.

XXXXX

Whoooooo! That was fun. I need a nap. So yeah, new chapter this week, but probably not next week. We shall see. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

I'm so sorry this took so long to put up. I could name a million excuses as to why it took so long (mainly schoolwork I swear), but I won't waste your time with that. This one was a little arduous, so a thousand pardons if you guys feel like this chapter isn't just up to snuff with the other ones. Things are a little hectic right now.

Oh and btw holy crap over 100 reviews?! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story. When I first started writing this I never thought it would do this well so again, thank you so much for sticking with it and with me. I love you guys.

**Karali: **Thank you so much you have no idea what that means to me! I will definitely check out your story, but if it's Teen Titans I have to warn you I'm not really reading any of those particular fanfics right now because of my own story. I don't want my ideas to get mixed up with other peoples' brilliant stories (do you know what I mean?).

**lunar silver: **Haha don't worry I haven't forgotten about the flowers. I'm just waiting for the right time for Raven to find out.

**Grinning Cheshire: **I can see how Beast Boy was a little OOC, but i'm trying to write them all as older and more mature, and even darker in some ways, so bear with me as I experiment. Thank you for pointing that out though. And don't worry, no more school uniform for a while! I hate that thing too.

A lot of you have commented on keeping the characters, well, in character, and I want to give a huge THANK YOU to anyone who wrote that. Seriously guys, this feedback helps. Thank you.

XXXXX

Raven was meditating when the door finally re-opened. She opened her eyes to find Beast Boy walking back in. She eyed him expectantly, but his face was solemn and blank as if nothing had just happened.

She was just about to question him when he silently walked over and placed her leotard and cloak on the bed.

"Figured you'd wanna change into something else. We found these with your belongings. You can come outside when you're done," was all he said before backing away and exiting once more.

Besides the distant rush of the air conditioner in the above vents, there was only silence.

Raven scooped up her leotard and cloak and hugged them to her chest, inhaling the comforting scent of jasmine. While she didn't exactly approve of them going through her things, she was grateful she could finally get out of her stupid school uniform.

She didn't think they would actually watch her change from the other side, but just to be sure, she pulled the bed's curtain around for privacy.

Her leotard fit her like a glove and the cloak was almost the equivalent of a security blanket for her. She then realized how long it had been since she'd felt so much like herself, so comfortable and so powerful.

She pulled back the curtain and slid her boots on, enjoying their utilitarian ease in contrast to the uselessness of the ballet flats.

When she was satisfied with her apparel she briskly walked to the door and slid it open, expecting Beast Boy. She frowned. The alien girl was waiting for her. No one else.

Awesome.

Raven studied the arresting girl. Standing face to face, she realized just how tall and intimidating the alien really was. Azar, she must have been nearly 6'2.

The alien girl was also observing Raven with a critical eye. Raven frowned.

"I will take you to the control room now. The others are waiting," the alien girl suddenly said glacially. She gestured for Raven to walk with her.

Might as well hear what they had to say.

Raven shrugged and found her pace with the foreboding girl. The door to her emotions was carelessly left wide open, and Raven could practically feel a headache emerging as she was pummeled with an array of emotions.

This girl felt everything all the time and she felt it so strongly, for the life of her Raven could not fathom how she lived this way with so many emotions bubbling all the time.

Right now the alien's emotions were ablaze. She was angry with Raven, that much was clear. And apprehensive. And resentful. And...curious? There was a twinge of sadness in there too, which perplexed Raven even more.

The walk seemed never ending at this point. It didn't help that the two girls were engulfed in tense silence either.

Aiming to release some of the tension, Raven spoke up.

"Sooo...what's your..name?" she broached.

The beautiful alien remained solemn. "You may call me Starfire."

"Ahhh.." Raven awkwardly answered.

It grew silent again. Nothing could be heard except the light padding of the two girls through the empty, dark hallway.

"I gather from your warm hospitality that you don't like me very much Starfire," Raven deadpanned, giving up on civil conversation.

"You have endangered my friends on several occasions, especially Beast Boy. So far, I have no reason to like you," she stated simply.

Raven pursed her lips and nodded in understanding. She had a point.

Finally, Starfire stopped in front of one of the larger doors. Just as Raven was about to walk in, Starfire halted her, firmly grasping Raven's arm in her powerful grip.

The unwelcome contact infuriated Raven and forgetting herself, she glared up at the alien.

But Starfire just glared right back. "If you hurt my friends, be forewarned, I will not be merciful. It is you that needs to be doing the watching of the back," she glowered.

Before Raven could get a word in, Starfire released her arm callously and swiftly walked into the room, the large door sliding open in welcome.

The room was spacious and finely decorated with all the best technology. It appeared to be a living room and a kitchen all in one. Behind the excessively large plasma-screen TV was a massive window overlooking the Jump City harbor and city. It was a truly gorgeous view.

Starfire purposefully strutted across the room and sat down next to Robin on the dark couch facing the TV. The other Titans were already sitting down, each observing the strange grey girl, but in different ways.

Robin's face was a little hard to read, but that was nothing new. No doubt he had a slew of questions prepared just for her. There was the usual anxious, pent-up energy radiating off him.

The cyborg looked like he was trying to decide whether he wanted to punch Raven or simply envelope her in a bone-crushing hug. He seemed nice enough, if you weren't on his bad side.

Beast Boy was sitting right in between Robin and the cyborg, as if to form a protective barrier around him. Raven cocked an eyebrow in disdain. What in the name of Azar had he told them about her?

"Nice outfit," Beast Boy commented placidly, looking up at her. "Suits you a lot better than that cheesy school uniform."

Raven considered his words before nodding slowly in agreement. She never wanted to wear that awful skirt ever again. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Beast Boy gave a small smile before gesturing for Raven to sit down on the couch with him and the rest of the team. Raven eyed him skeptically for a few seconds, but in the end gave in and sat down on the farthest end of the couch, leaving an almost comical gap between her and the Titans.

The clock on the granite kitchen counter tick-tocked mockingly in the silence and Raven couldn't help but drum her fingers against her pale grey thighs impatiently, her posture upright and stiff in the awkwardness of the situation.

Curiosity seemed to finally win over in the cyborg's silent debate with himself as he scooted closer to Raven and offered his large, metallic hand. "So, you're the Raven BB's been talking about all week. Name's Cyborg," he said genially, a wide grin adorning his face.

Beast Boy's face flushed and Raven could've sworn she saw Robin's lips twitch with a smile. "Dude!" Beast Boy admonished indignantly, smacking Cyborg lightly on the back.

"What?" Cyborg asked innocently, turning to look back at Beast Boy.

Embarrassingly, Raven found herself blushing at Cyborg's first comment as well. Shyly, she took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Cyborg," she monotoned, attempting to act indifferent about the whole matter.

Cyborg leaned back comfortably into the sofa and held his gaze on Raven, a laughter in his single human eye, as if he knew something she didn't.

While introductions were nice, Raven couldn't help but wonder what the heck she was still doing there, and furthermore, why they were being so pleasant with her all of a sudden. Well, most of them were being pleasant with her anyway.

"Soooo," Raven began dryly. "Not that this hasn't been a blast or anything, but I'm going to leave now. Let's do this again real soon though."

Before she could even move to stand up, Cyborg had his massive hand on her small shoulder, mutely informing her that they weren't quite finished with her yet. Robin was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, Raven, but we can't let you leave quite yet," he voiced authoritatively.

Raven stubbornly yanked her shoulder out from Cyborg's grip and sighed impatiently. "I already answered all your questions, what more could you possibly want from me?"

Robin's eyes flashed darkly. "The man who was in your apartment isn't just another dangerous criminal. He's psychotic, and he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. If I just let you go back out there now, I'll be putting your life in danger."

Frustration began to consume her. How dare he speak to her that way, as if she was as helpless as an infant, unable to protect herself. Obviously Beast Boy had failed to mention the extent of Raven's power in his debriefings.

Feeling a little betrayed, Raven glanced over at Beast Boy. He was leaning forward on the couch, resting his forearms on his thighs, hands folded in the mimicry of prayer. His brow was furrowed in concern as he met Raven's eyes. Surely he knew she could take care of herself? Had she not proved that over the last few days?

A dark thought passed through her mind. Maybe if she singlehandedly destroyed their precious tower they'd have a little more faith in her abilities.

As if reading her thoughts, Beast Boy shook his head slightly, as if to say, "Don't even think about it, Raven."

Fine. Guess she was going to have to prove herself in other ways.

"I appreciate the thought, but I am more than capable of taking care of myself," Raven said tensely.

"It's not that we don't believe you, Raven, cuz believe me, BB's told us all about your temper," Cyborg jumped in, shooting Beast Boy a teasing look, who in turn was looking rather mortified at the moment. "But you don't know this guy like we do."

"Despite what details Beast Boy may have reported about my abilities, even he has no idea the true extent of my power," Raven argued.

She then looked to Beast Boy, whose knowing expression seemed to fortify her justification. He seemed somewhat aware she had been holding back in their previous...disagreements.

The other Titans still looked less than convinced, however.

"I was injured and, frankly, a little caught off guard by the strange man's presence in my apartment. The next time we meet, he won't have it so easy," Raven maintained.

Robin, who had been quiet for the past few minutes as if mulling something over, finally rejoined the conversation, shaking his head. "It's not safe for you out there. You need to stay here for a while. In the Tower."

If Raven had been a more animated person, her jaw may have dropped to the floor. But, as it were, she kept her same stoic face as she resisted the urge to reach over and strangle Robin's skinny neck.

Did this Boy Blunder seriously think he had any tangible control over Raven? Over her life?

The other Titans looked a little shocked as well at Robin's sudden proclamation, but more so in the notion that this had been a Plan Z type of idea that nobody actually thought would be put into action. The "desperate times call for desperate measures" plan of action.

Fists clenched, Raven swallowed and spoke as calmly as he voice would allow. "Look, I understand that this man is dangerous and that leaving puts my life in danger tenfold. But your arrogance truly knows no bounds if you think I'm just going to let you hold me hostage here."

"Got a point there, Robin," Beast Boy mumbled a little louder than he meant to.

Robin shot Beast Boy a look questioning whose side he was on before reverting back to Raven. "This isn't a permanent situation. Once we take down Slade, of course you'd be free to live wherever you want. But until then, we need you here, safe."

"Is that his name, then?" Raven asked dryly. Finally, a little information.

Robin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Who?"

"Slade."

Robin's expression grew stoney at the mention of his name, his body language more stiff and aggressive. "Yes."

Starfire's imposing countenance melted into deep unease as she cautiously placed her hand on Robin's shoulder, attempting to bring him back to earth.

Sensing his leader's sudden mental departure, Cyborg took over the conversation. "Uhh you'll have to excuse Robin for a little bit. Slade knows how to push his buttons better than anyone," he vaguely stated, as if it would explain everything.

Suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic, Raven stood up and excused herself to the bathroom before anyone could stop her.

When the control room's door slid closed behind her, Raven's smooth pace quickened into that of a slight jog as she took off down the dark hall.

She cursed under her breath when she heard his familiar voice call after her.

"Raven, wait!"

XXXXX

I've only got about three weeks of school left and then I'm off for summer. Even though I've already started writing the next chapter I might not add it until I'm finished with school. Finals are coming up and...no explanation necessary. So yeah, don't expect a new chapter anytime soon. I'm so sorry, but yeah school has got to come first right now.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

I know, I know. I am the worst, and you guys are the best. But here's the new chapter I promised, take it or leave it. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!

Btw, thank you to everyone who wished me luck on my finals, I really appreciate that.

**Lord-Of-Change**: Yeah I can see how Starfire's treatment of Raven may have been unexpected to a lot of people but I was really thinking about it before I actually wrote the scene and I decided that yes, Starfire is known to be the most openly loving and friendly of the Titans, but when it's about the safety of her friends and the people that matter most to her, she will not put up with people's shit. She's very open, yes, but if someone's threatening her friends she goes into warrior princess mode. It would have been very easy to make Starfire fond of Raven right from the start but I think the Starfire I portrayed is a nice change to how she's usually portrayed in fanfics (No offense to anyone who writes her that way I actually love open and friendly Starfire just as much as I love kickass warrior Starfire). So yeah, hope that clears some of it up for you. Thank you for questioning that! :)

XXXXX

"Raven, wait!" Beast Boy called after her. It seemed as though she was always running away from him and nobody else.

Raven ignored him, commanding her short legs to go faster, reach farther. She just wanted five minutes to herself, to catch her breath and take it all in, was that just so damn much to ask for? She felt a strange mental tug pulling her in two different directions, one urging her to stay, to give this a chance, the other stubbornly telling her to go, that she would be just as safe on her own without them or him.

She had never been one to take freedom for granted, especially given her unfortunate lineage and the bleak prophecy shrouding the day of her birth. While she was grateful for Garfield's help (or Beast Boy's, whoever), and the Titans' somewhat concern, the claustrophobic feeling of her being forced into a situation utterly repulsed her down to her bones.

If anything, it swept her back to memories of who her father was and still is, the reminder that no matter how hard she tried, she would always be grasping for agency over her own life. She just needed some time to herself to meditate and think things through. She hadn't had a real moment of privacy in over twenty-four hours.

Beast Boy's voice rang out behind her, but it registered faintly in her ears, giving him an advantage. She gasped when she felt the unmistakable jolt of someone tackling her from behind. Crap, she hadn't realized he could run so fast.

He straddled her stomach possessively, his large hands each doing their part in pinning her slender arms to the dark floor. She felt her face flush at the intimacy of the situation, and prayed to Azar that to him she looked winded from her sprint rather than embarrassed from their compromising positions. Her stomach tingled with an unwelcome fluttering, and a small sweat was beginning to percolate on her grey brow.

Briefly, she wondered if he was as aware of their closeness as she was. She narrowed her dark eyes up at him in contempt as he glared back down. Oh was he going to get it when she got out of this.

"Got your attention now?" he smirked.

"You must have a death wish," Raven growled, ignoring the incessant fluttering in her toned belly.

Beast Boy scoffed, releasing her arms and standing up, offering her his hand. "Hardly."

As per usual, Raven refused his offer of help and stood up on her own. As she brushed away stray pieces of lint from her leotard, she noticed with irritation that her body was still humming from their strange physical contact. Stupid hormones.

"Ready to go back in there?"

Angrily, she glared up at his determined green eyes. "Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Everything," she seethed. "Stop trying to be my friend, stop trying to force me to stay here, just stop."

"Raven, it's not all as bad as you think," he huffed, trying to reason with her.

She shook her head profusely. Her emotions were rising again and she needed to somehow find a way to reign them in before she made a mess of Titans Tower. She couldn't help it, though. Without her usual lengthy meditations, her mind was seeking other, less rational ways of purging itself of all the pain and confusion she had been dealt within the past few days, hell the past few hours.

"How can you possibly know that?" she asked, voice cracking and hands shaking. In the distance, she heard the distinct shattering of a light fixture. It was so embarrassing, letting the words fall so freely. She felt like the victim of some horrible drug as her mental walls came crashing down.

"How can you possibly know how I'm feeling about all of this, about any of this? Well let me just paint you a small picture of what you've saddled me with: Your leader doesn't trust me and is kind of an asshole, in case you haven't noticed. That alien girl Starfire already hates me, and if I look at you the wrong way, there's a good chance she's going to slit my throat in my sleep. Cyborg is obviously just pretending to like me-"

Beast Boy cut her off gently, "Raven, calm down, you're overreacting. You don't really know how they feel about you."

She scoffed. "That's the thing, Garfield, or Beast Boy, or whoever you are, I may not know _exactly _how they feel about me all the time, but I can get pretty damn close. I can feel every little bit of emotion your team, and you, I might add, is radiating about me."

He didn't seem very shocked about her confession, which in all honesty didn't shock her, either. Come on, he wasn't that stupid. He had to have connected most of the dots by now.

She could feel her mind and emotions calming as the last bit of her mind-purge hung in the air, her body far too exhausted to lash out physically like it usually did. "Despite what may have transpired in these last few days, you know nothing about me, Garfield."

Beast Boy's eyes clouded with hurt. Raven looked away guiltily, unable to face the mess she had managed to make of her new life in such a short amount of time.

Maybe that's all she was good for, though. Messing things up. Destruction. Anguish. Disappointment.

"I'm not a hero," she said, nearly whispering.

It was Beast Boy's turn to be annoyed. "That right there? Stop that," he demanded.

Raven's eyes widened in incredulity. "What?"

"Stop throwing yourself these little pity parties, Raven! You have so much power and so much potential to make a difference in this city, maybe even the world! But you're so damn focused on yourself and feeling sorry for yourself that you won't let anyone help you!" he argued.

Raven stood in shock, not quite sure how to reply to his blatant accusation.

"You have so much damn pride, Raven. For once, can you please just trust me? We're just trying to help you and keep you safe," Beast Boy finished tiredly. She wondered how much sleep he had gotten since meeting her. He was no picnic in the park himself, but it couldn't be very easy having her in his life. She was a mess.

"And besides, who said I was trying to be your friend?" he added, a small teasing tone in his voice. "You're such a pain in the ass, how could I possibly benefit from you living here?"

She would've throttled him if he didn't have that stupid grin on his face. She was beginning to realize how deeply involved she was in all of this. There was no use was there?

It was easy to see at this point that Beast Boy was not going to take "No" for an answer. She figured it could be worse, it could be Slade she was having a conversation with right now, or rather, a lack of conversation.

Obviously Beast Boy cared about her on some level or he wouldn't be trying this hard to get her to stay. He had stood up for her when his whole team had told him to wake up and smell the irises. She didn't trust his team, the Titans, but for now, what did she have to lose by trusting him? This is what she had wanted wasn't it? To start over, to meet new people and maybe even make a few friends?

This wasn't quite the situation she had expected, however. It wasn't the most ideal situation, but she would live.

Raven sighed through gritted teeth. "Well then, would you mind showing me my temporary room?"

Beast Boy looked back at her in surprise, as if she had just announced pink was her absolute favorite color (It may have been Happy's but it sure as hell wasn't her's).

"I do get a room with a bed, right? Or are the Teen Titans really going to make me crash on their couch?" she asked dryly.

"No no, it's not that," Beast Boy quickly amended, ruffling his hair nervously. "I'm just a little shocked that I convinced you to stay, is all."

"That makes two of us," she deadpanned. "Nevertheless, would you mind...?"

Beast Boy took the hint, green eyes alighting with glee, "Yeah, sure."

He grabbed her arm and led her to an elevator nearby. "Right this way, madam," he drawled, affecting a cheesy, fake French accent.

They stepped inside the elevator and Beast Boy pressed a button while Raven silently marveled at the vast number of floors in the spacious Tower. The elevator swiftly ascended until stopping two floors later, and Beast Boy led her down another dark hallway until finally reaching an unmarked door.

"We all have pass codes for our rooms, but since you living here was sort of a last ditch effort, your room doesn't have one yet. Cyborg will have to install yours tomorrow," he explained apologetically. Raven nodded in understanding, though she was surprised they were allowing her such a privilege when it seemed they didn't trust her very much.

The metallic door whooshed open and the two meta-humans stepped inside. Raven tried to remain stoic as she drank it all in. While it was hardly the presidential suite at the Bellagio, it was still a lot better than she had expected.

With its simple dark walls and lush dark carpet, Raven wondered if Beast Boy chose this particular room specially for her. The well-made bed was quite large and looked so delectably comfortable she was tempted to pass out on it right then and there. There was a light switch by the door, but with the natural light from the sunrise flooding through the clean windows, it remained switched in the "Off" position.

There were no pictures or posters hung on the walls, no objects of sentimentality strewn about. But she liked it that way. Unattached, distant, just like her, yet full of possibilities.

"There's a closet for your stuff too," Beast Boy informed, watching her carefully.

Raven nodded, still wandering about the room contentedly, mesmerized by the comforting energy the simple room doled out to her spirit.

He cocked his head at her. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"No," she breathed. "It's amazing."

She stopped her moving and looked him in the eye. "Thank you, Garfield."

Raven's stomach fluttered when she caught a reddish tinge growing on Beast Boy's cheeks. Poor guy could probably use some sleep, but she felt a little weird just up and kicking him out after he'd done so much for her today.

"I need to meditate now, and I need it quiet. Why don't you go get some sleep?" she quietly suggested, hoping he'd take the bait.

He seemed to weigh her words before nodding slowly. "Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. Robin's gonna be interrogating my ass in a few hours anyway, might as well try to be rested enough to understand what he's even asking me."

It couldn't be easy for him. He was stuck in the middle of Raven's tug of war with his team. He wanted to earn Raven's trust, but at the same time he had to be undoubtedly loyal to the Titans, his family. It was a crappy place to be, in the middle, and in a huge way she felt like it was her fault. She wasn't threatening the Titans, but she wasn't exactly cooperating with their plans and ideals either.

He was about to leave when he suddenly paused and turned to face Raven. "Robin can be a bit of a hard-headed asshole sometimes, but he's a damn good leader and I don't know where I'd be without him," he kept his gaze on her as he continued. "Starfire can be a little scary when she's mad, but she's just being protective of me and the team. She doesn't hate you. And Cyborg...Cyborg doesn't pretend to be anything or anyone other than himself. With him, what you see is what you get. He's the best friend I've ever had. They're my family, Raven, and I need you to get that before you talk to them again tomorrow."

Raven nodded slightly, maintaining eye contact. "Night, Garfield," she said.

Beast Boy smiled. "Night, Raven. I'm just a few rooms down if you need anything. My name's on the door."

Raven watched him as he exited, the door whooshing closed behind him. Maybe she could try a little harder to be nicer to his team to make this whole situation easier for him. Prove to him that she wasn't so selfish, that it wasn't just herself she worried about or cared about. Maybe.

She could do this. Live in the Tower, live with the Titans, maybe even form some sort of camaraderie with them. And when Slade was taken down and this was all over, she could leave. She could stay in Jump City, or she could go wherever she wanted. All that mattered right now though was helping the Titans so they could take down Slade and everyone could get on with their lives.

She eyed the silky bed before finally flopping down on it, her strained and tense muscles oozing happily into sheets. With the flick of her hand, the curtains shut on the windows, blocking out the beaming morning sunlight. She began to levitate over the bed, crossing her legs and assuming the lotus position. Before she began her meditation, her mind paused to rejoice at what she heard: silence. Beautiful, blissful, silence.

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There. I really hope I didn't let you guys down with this chapter because I actually feel this is some of the best writing I've done in a while. Don't be afraid to review this chapter honestly, though, it's the only way I'll become a better writer. Thanks for reading everyone!


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! :)

A couple of people brought up the possibility of me writing about Raven's prophecy or bringing Trigon into this. These are intriguing ideas to be sure, but I'm sorry to say that this particular story won't be dealing with any of that. That would be a huge undertaking for me and I really don't want to butcher that character arc in any way so, yeah, I'm sorry but I won't be writing about those things anytime soon. But thanks for the suggestions! Always appreciated.

I do have further intentions for Terra's role in this story, but I'm not gonna give anything away just yet. Patience young tadpoles.

**Pb3**: Wow. That is a huge compliment. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much. Thank you.

N3v3rm0r311949: You guys make me fangirl. A lot.

Shat. I keep forgetting to put disclaimers on my latest chapters. Please don't sue me I swear I don't own anything ever at all.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans. I swear.**

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When she finished meditating a couple hours later, Raven quietly slipped out of her room and back downstairs to the control room in search of some kind of nourishment. It was still early, but that made no difference to her because she had always been more of a morning person anyway.

She longed deeply for a hot mug of earl grey tea, maybe even some toast or fresh berries if she could find any in the kitchen. She felt a little strange going through the Titans' fridge, but they had invited her stay here, after all. Besides, the last thing she wanted was for them to think that she intended for them to wait on her.

The doors whooshed open and Raven glided cautiously into the room, eager to keep the noise down to a minimum. Who knew how late the Titans slept and by no means did she want to piss anyone off by waking them up before nine in the morning.

Thinking she was alone at such an ungodly hour, she set about looking for a tea kettle.

"The kettle is in the cabinet under the sink."

Raven jumped at the sound of Robin's placid voice. She turned around slowly, finding Robin and Starfire sitting calmly at the breakfast table at the opposite end of the spacious room.

He seemed indifferent enough, reading the newspaper and sipping coffee. Starfire, on the other hand, was hardly attempting to hide the glacial stare in her frighteningly green eyes.

Raven resumed her activity, finding the cabinet Robin had mentioned and locating the stainless steel tea kettle toward the back, as if it were hardly ever used. She filled the kettle with water from the sink and proceeded to heat it on the stove top.

While she waited for the water to come to a boil, she tried to remember her moment of resolve from last night, her decision to try to be less selfish and make this situation more bearable for Beast Boy. The bitter, yet not completely surprising realization that she should probably get to know the Titans better and give them a chance before actually writing them off.

Yeah, like they'd given her a chance?

It wasn't their fault though, she had to remember that. If the roles were reversed, she'd probably act the way they were acting too (well, maybe not the _exact _same way, she'd behave a little more rationally, of course).

But she had to be realistic about the situation. All the Titans really knew about her was what Beast Boy had reported during the week-which had to be pretty hopeless, especially given Starfire's immediate reaction to Raven-and how Raven acted around them now. It also didn't help that Raven wasn't much for good first impressions.

Okay, so she was screwed.

A small, hopeful part of her refused defeat, however. Cyborg seemed to like her, though only Azar knew why. When they had met yesterday, she had hardly been the portrait of geniality, merely being polite to get him to stop focusing on her.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it probably had more to do with Beast Boy and their friendship than anything. It made sense, didn't it? Even if his comments had been a little mortifying for both her and Beast Boy, Cyborg had been easygoing yesterday because he could see how much it meant to his teammate. She began to wonder if Beast Boy was helping her in more ways than she had initially imagined.

Alright, so Cyborg was allowing her a clean slate, but what about Robin and Starfire? Robin may be a stubborn ass, but his proficiency at closing himself off and concealing his emotions made him a slightly easier candidate to confront first. At least Raven wouldn't have to worry about his emotions pummeling her in the midst of apology.

Starfire was a different story, however. The very opposite of Robin, almost. She was like a dazzling flame. When she was happy and content, she crackled with life, unabashedly allowing others to bask in her generous warmth and care. But add a little fuel, or in this case negative emotions, and she became similar to a forrest fire, allowing herself and her emotions to grow furiously reckless, consuming everything in their path until they slowly and painfully fizzled out. Swaying Starfire's opinion of her would not be an easy task.

People like Starfire were almost loyal to a fault, believing the best in their friends even when people like Raven argue that it's hopeless. Obviously, Raven had managed to piss Starfire off sometime during the week. It was a little unfair though, the apartment incident really wasn't Raven's fault. It wasn't her fault Slade's drone broke in and blew up half of the top floor. It wasn't her fault the Titans showed up to save her.

But this mental argument was irrelevant. There was nothing she could do about what had happened in the past, all she could do now was try to right things as best she could and move forward. The negative energy Starfire was sending her was beginning to give her a headache anyway. Maybe if she offered some sort of awkward apology, both Starfire and Robin would back down a little.

"The tea bags are in the drawer to your left, and the mugs are in the upper cabinet behind you...although I'm not quite sure what kind of tea we have or if it's even any good," Robin mused without even glancing up from his newspaper, thoroughly interrupting Raven's internal contemplation in the process. Starfire remained seemingly disinterested and stoic as she watched him read, the sparks of her energy blazing heedlessly beneath the cool façade.

Raven allowed a small sigh to escape from her before gathering a mug from said cabinet and settling on a slightly faded bag of Jasmine tea. This was Robin's version of trying. Oh Azar, he was trying, wasn't he? A thought then occurred her: after leaving Raven last night, had Beast Boy spoken to him as well?

The kettle whistled a short while later and Raven retrieved it from the stove top. She poured the tea into the mug and strode over to the large table, taking a seat across from the two disquieting heroes. It was too painful for Raven to begin the conversation, so she just sat there sipping her tea awkwardly until Robin refolded the newspaper and looked up at her.

"Glad to see you decided to stay," he said.

Raven couldn't help herself. "Not like I really had a choice in the matter," she replied dryly, releasing more tension into the air. Yeah, that's what this situation needed, more tension. Way to go, Raven.

"Of course you had a choice," he countered, furrowing his brow.

Raven then stared him straight in the eye and shot him a "You've got to be kidding me" look. Robin caught her glare and exhaled. "Alright, so I may have been a little hard-headed last night," he began slowly.

A little?

"But you need to understand, Raven, my biggest concern right now is your safety. I get it, you're powerful, I'm not trying to take that or anything away from you. But Slade is different from those other thugs and villains, and worst of all he's targeted you specifically. He's a huge threat to this city and to everyone living in it and you weren't taking what I said seriously last night, so I had to act accordingly," he explained calmly, feeling wholeheartedly that his actions were justified.

This was quite the change from the ferociously serious Boy Wonder she had witnessed last night. This appeared to be his form of an apology, an attempt to amend what got blown out of proportion before it got any worse.

A part of her was tempted to brush him off, to make him try a little harder in seeking her forgiveness, but then she remembered Beast Boy and her resolution.

For her part, Starfire seemed a little perplexed by Robin's sudden change in disposition over Raven and her actions. She could feel her beginning to question her own decisions. If Robin, the most emotionally dense of them all, was changing tactics, should she as well?

Forgiveness was a two-way street. If Robin was going to try, Raven had to try as well, otherwise they wouldn't be able to move forward. She closed her amethyst eyes and prayed her mouth would say something meaningful and not just proceed to upset him and Starfire further.

"You're right."

Robin and Starfire's eyes widened considerably. This was assuredly not what they had been expecting from Raven. Even she was a little shocked by the words falling from her lips.

A little more confident in herself, she continued. "I understand why you acted the way you did," she then turned to a stunned Starfire. "both of you. And I apologize if my actions have endangered the team in any way or have hindered your efforts in capturing Slade."

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but Raven wasn't quite finished yet. "I understand that living here in the Tower is the best and safest option for me right now and I appreciate what you have done to keep me alive and safe. And if you need any help taking down Slade, I'm more than willing to assist."

Starfire was gazing at Raven meaningfully now. Her alien mind was bursting with a new rush of emotions, as if she were fighting to decide if Raven's apology had earned her respect. It would certainly lift a huge weight off Raven's shoulders.

"What changed your mind?" Robin asked, narrowing his masked eyes.

Raven glanced at the wide and clear windows looking out at the bay and Jump City. The beautiful Jump City skyline gleaming in the morning sun immediately caught her eye. So many people living in just that one city, all trying to make a life for themselves. They were no different from her, really, with just the minor exception of her exceptional powers.

She would do everything in her power to make sure the people of Jump City remained safe, so they could continue to strive for the life Raven had always longed for. A life buzzing with family, friends, and purpose.

"Our quarreling solves nothing," she explained simply, still admiring the view from their living room. "If what you said about Slade is true, then there is much more at stake here than just my well-being. I was selfish to put my interests ahead of the safety of Jump City...In the end, our working together is what's going to bring down Slade."

Robin probed her face, searching for any lies or duplicity in her message, any hidden agendas of any kind. But there was nothing deceitful about her gaze. Besides, even if she was lying to them, did they really think she'd allow them to detect it on her so easily?

"I...believe you," Starfire suddenly spoke up. Her beautiful green eyes were lit up in hope and joy. Raven stiffened self-consciously, meeting her trusting gaze in wonder.

She was not so accustomed to people placing their faith in her, for seeing something besides evil within her. It was a strange feeling to be seen as someone who could prove valuable in a way that didn't involve deception or universal domination.

Robin was looking at Raven now too, and, as if taking a cue from his teammate, he nodded, smiling slowly. "That's good enough for me. Welcome aboard, Raven, we're glad to have you here to help."

He offered his green gloved hand, and Raven took it, shaking it firmly. "Thanks, Robin."

Not even a second later Raven found herself being lifted off the ground into a bone-crushing, lung-asphyxiating hug. "Oh, Raven! I am so delighted that we can all be the friends, now! And it is so gloriously wonderful to have another female on the team!"

"Uhh, Starfire?" she choked out, wheezing slightly.

"Mmhmm?"

"Would you mind putting me down? I'm not much of a...hugger," Raven felt a pang of guilt as Starfire's disappointment washed over her. The last thing Raven wanted to do was upset her.

"Oh...I see," Starfire sadly relented, placing Raven back down on the carpet carefully. She seemed nice enough, she just had to back off on the hugging.

"Raven won't be able to help us if you kill her, Star," Cyborg joked as he entered the room. The door whooshed closed behind him as he made his way down the carpeted stairs and over to the refrigerator. He took out a carton of eggs, milk, a block cheddar cheese, and a few dozen thickly cut slices of ham and put them on the counter, the key ingredients necessary for his morning omelet.

Raven grabbed her empty mug and treaded into the kitchen area, disposing of her tea bag and rinsing the mug in the sink. As she placed the mug on a towel to dry, Cyborg leaned in to grab a frying pan from a nearby cabinet.

"Good morning," he greeted her pleasantly.

"Morning."

"So I gather everything's cool now between you, Star, and Robin?"

Raven looked back at Robin and Starfire. The two were easy and relaxed now, enjoying the morning as if it were any other day. Starfire seemed to be asking questions about a particular headline in the morning paper, and Raven tried not to laugh when she spied the flush growing on Robin's face, as if Starfire's questions embarrassed him somehow.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she replied, looking up at Cyborg kindly. She really was grateful for the way he had treated her last night. Already, she felt a comforting kinship to the towering tech man.

With Raven in tow, Cyborg went back to the stove top and began heating the pan, whistling cheerily as he cracked eggs into a bowl.

"I'm assuming Beast Boy is a late sleeper?" Raven inquired out of nowhere. Where the hell had that come from?

Cyborg smiled knowingly as he whisked the eggs. "Yeah, the grass stain is all about his beauty sleep. He won't be up for at least an hour or two."

"Aahh," was all Raven could think to reply.

"But, then again, with you here, you never know..." he added cryptically, chuckling. Raven decided to take his comment at face value. He was just teasing, that's all.

"Mind if I explore the Tower?"

Cyborg shrugged. "Go right ahead. This is your home now, too."

_For now, anyway_, Raven mused as she walked out of the room. Cyborg was right though. Even if it was a temporary situation, Raven was living here and she needed to be able to get around without getting lost in the many corridors and levels.

A short while later, she somehow ended it up on the Tower's roof.

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So, I'm posting this chapter a little sooner than usual because I will be on a short trip for the next few days and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. Well, leave you hanging more than usual that is, muahahahahaha.

Thanks for reading! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

Whoooo chapter 15! Wow, can't believe I've made it this far. I know I said the chapters would gradually get longer, but at the same time I kind of feel like the length I'm doing now is the most natural for my writing style. I am trying to lengthen them though, I swear. Thanks to everyone who's still keeping up with this story and really thank you for all the reviews! You guys are the best.

**Grinning Cheshire**: Raven's been in her leotard and cloak for a couple chapters now, and hopefully she won't have to wear that school uniform for the rest of the story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

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The late morning sun glinted warmly down on Raven as she took a seat on a far ledge. Her toned legs dangled easily as she breathed in the cool, salty aroma of the surrounding ocean. She closed her eyes and smiled as a light breeze swept in to tease her skin and hair.

Before she had left her home on Azarath, this was what she had always pictured when she thought of Earth. The simple beauty that encompassed the small planet had always intrigued and delighted her at the same time. There was no other place that made her feel quite this way, so peaceful and so content.

Perhaps seeking out a busy city had been the wrong idea for her. Yes, in comparison to other cities, Jump City was fairly small and unperturbed, but maybe seeking out a more remote location would have been more fitting for the young sorceress. Maybe if she had settled down on a remote island or in the middle of some vacant woods she wouldn't be in the mess she was in now.

It irritated her that she hadn't been able to sense Slade watching her all this time. Even though her transition to Earth had made her a little more relaxed, it wasn't like she had completely abandoned her powers or her training. Had he been watching her since her arrival, or was his stalking more recent? It was hard to tell.

Beast Boy's distracting her at school certainly hadn't helped her focus, either. But she knew it was unfair to blame him, especially when he was only trying to protect his city and his team. She would just have to be more alert from now on.

Which also brought up an interesting question in Raven's mind: Was she even allowed to leave the Tower? She certainly wanted to keep things peaceful in the Tower and with the Titans, but there was no way in hell she was going to hide in the Tower until they took down Slade. She had offered her help, but Robin hadn't exactly expressed a direct acceptance of her offer.

And what about Beast Boy's mysterious mission at their school? Had Raven been his target all along, or had their meeting merely been a chance encounter? Who or what was he even looking for in the first place?

Her head buzzed as infinite questions began to sweep through her mind. There was obviously a lot she still didn't know about Beast Boy. It was okay that she wasn't quite familiar with the other Titans yet because they had all met just yesterday. But Beast Boy, he was different. In some ways, he was her confidante in this whole ordeal, her strange source of solace.

He had assured her many times over that he was on her side, that he only had the best of intentions for her, and while he had certainly proved himself a lot recently, somehow that didn't seem like enough for her at the moment. Before she placed anymore trust in the green hero, she needed to know more.

Because she was such an open book herself, right?

But maybe that would change with time. Maybe if she became more comfortable and more trusting, maybe she would share a little of herself with him...and the Titans, of course.

Raven was admiring the tide crashing below when she suddenly felt the air change around her. She didn't need to turn around for visual confirmation, merely feeling his presence was enough for her to know.

"Awesome view, isn't it?" Beast Boy commented as he sat down beside her on the ledge. He was munching hungrily on some tofu.

She nodded in agreement, still gazing at the sea below. "It's nice up here. Very peaceful."

His green eyes glittered as he looked at her. "Sleep well?"

"When you left I ended up meditating past dawn," she admitted quietly. "I suppose I wasn't that tired."

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't be after that little coma you put yourself in," he joked, swinging his legs absentmindedly. He decided to change topics. "So, Cyborg told me what happened at breakfast this morning."

If he was waiting for her to concede or admit to something, he'd be waiting for the rest of his life. "Oh, yeah?"

There was bitterness and hurt in his voice when he spoke. "Mmhmm, I see how it is. I guess you've got no problem apologizing to anyone else, even Robin, who, if I recall, you had no problem referring to as an 'asshole' multiple times last night. But if it's _me_..."

Raven's head shot to meet Beast Boy's expression. She searched his eyes and nearly gave him an earful until she noticed the laughter lying beneath his façade. When he finally cracked and smiled, she simply rolled her eyes and looked away, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her small grin.

"Aww c'mon, Raven, I was just messing with you," he laughed, ruffling his hair as the wind danced through it.

She remained quiet next to him, allowing his lightness to simmer inside her. She couldn't help but wonder though if Beast Boy really was hurt by her lack of apologies. After all, every joke contains some level of truth to it. She couldn't explain it, but it was just harder for her to humble herself to him more than anyone else. Someday she'd make it up to him, somehow.

Beast Boy sighed. "So anyway, before I made an ass of myself, we were talking about this morning."

"Yes, we were," she monotoned, waiting for him to get to the point.

He hesitated. "What made you decide to...you know..?"

"Apologize? Promise my full cooperation? Drink tea?"

"You know what I mean," he said, fang poking out as he smiled at her.

Raven looked down, focusing on the deep-set lines on her her hands instead. "Our bickering is useless. We should be working together to stop Slade, not fighting about him. We'll be stronger together as one unit rather than a team of four heroes plus one lone sorceress."

He frowned at her last comment, but decided not to push the subject. "Well, I'm glad you guys worked it out. It was getting kind of intense having to play referee between you three."

"I'm a little surprised Starfire cracked so quickly, though. That must have been one hell of an apology you gave." he added teasingly.

"She's certainly not from Earth. What race is she?" Raven asked.

"Starfire's Tamaranian. She's from Tamaran."

Raven nodded. That certainly explained a lot, appearance-wise. But as far as she knew, Tamaranians were not known to possess powers like the ones Starfire confidently honed. There was probably a story to explain that, but she supposed it was for another person, another time.

"I'm sure you've noticed her and Robin's infatuation with each other," Beast Boy commented lightly.

She smirked. "Let me guess, everyone can see it but them?"

"Exactly. They've got a bad case of the skinny love."

She didn't ask him what he meant by that, but she made a mental note to look it up later when she was alone. "Garfield, there's something I have to ask you," she broached carefully.

"Uh oh, are you about to get all awkward on me?" he teased.

Raven ignored his comment and pressed on. "Why are you pretending to be a student at the Murakami High School?"

Beast Boy suddenly grew serious. "Raven-"

"I know you couldn't tell me before, but the situation's changed now. I deserve to know why you were spying on me," she asserted. The 'spying' accusation was a bit much, but she figured maybe if he felt guilty he'd be more willing to open up to her.

"Okay, first of all, I was hardly spying on you," he scoffed.

She looked at him expectantly, urging him to continue with her eyes.

His face was thoughtful as he worked out the details in his head. He exhaled slowly before finally addressing her. "I was sent to Murakami in order to find and protect a certain type of student," he paused, staring at her intently. "Mainly, students like you, like us."

Raven frowned and narrowed her eyes at him, but she remained silent, hoping he'd clarify. In response to her indignant body language, his hands shot up, palms facing her in a state of defense. "But you have to realize, Raven, meeting you was a complete surprise. I thought there was only one meta-human attending the school and then BAM! there you are right in front of me and honestly I didn't even think you were meta-human at first and-"

He was rambling now. She put a gentle hand on his knee and immediately he froze, panting slightly as his lungs struggled to catch up. He looked down meaningfully at her small hand. "Sorry. I was rambling, wasn't I?"

Blushing slightly under his gaze, Raven removed her hand and steered the conversation back on track. "Why, though? Why put so much time and energy into searching for and protecting these students? Students that are not completely helpless, if I might add."

His eyes searched the shoreline. He seemed to be considering the best way to sum it all up. "Slade," he said finally.

Raven shivered slightly as she heard the name, her body rigid with discomfort. "And what part does he play in all this?" she inquired, though she already had a pretty good idea of where this was all going.

"Well, that's the thing, we're still not exactly sure what he's up to...as usual...but basically we think he's searching for a new apprentice."

She nodded numbly, unsure of what to say. She had figured as much after hearing the previous details of Garfield's mission, but knowing that she was caught in the middle of this, that Slade had singled her out already, didn't sit too well with her.

Did that mean Slade wanted Raven as his apprentice? Or maybe he had other plans for her? The thought of Slade trying to use her for anything made her skin crawl. She had the sudden urge to throw up.

"Raven? Are you okay?"

She nodded dizzily, swallowing to regain her stoic composure. "I didn't peg Slade as the 'apprentice' type," she said, attempting to lighten the situation.

"Yeah, he's all about passing along his endless knowledge of destruction and misery," he mused grimly. "The guy's a psycho. He has this twisted notion that others want to be just like him."

For the first time, Raven was beginning to realize what they were up against. This obviously wasn't the first time Slade had pulled this kind of crap. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he had put the Titans through before.

A thought suddenly struck her. "You mentioned there being another meta-human at Murakami besides me. Do I know them?"

His mood changed significantly at that question. Raven cocked an eyebrow when she noticed that he was stifling a grin. "Yeah, you could say that," he taunted.

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "Garfield."

Now he was shamelessly grinning. "You know, you're the only person who ever calls me Garfield?"

"Beast Boy."

His smile faltered. "Aww c'mon, I like it when you call me Garfield," he pouted, nudging her playfully.

"Just tell me who the other one is," she said, getting impatient.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Jeez, Raven, I was just screwing with you...It's Terra."

Of course it would be Terra. Who else in the whole entire school would it be? Raven just couldn't catch a break anymore these days. There were so many factors that played into this situation it made her head spin. Did Terra have control of her powers, or was she just blossoming into them? Maybe that's why Slade wanted her, to polish and mold her while she was still young and fresh.

Did Slade view Raven the same way? As a naive newcomer who couldn't control her powers? If that's what he thought, she definitely carried the element of surprise the next time they faced each other. Hopefully, there wouldn't have to be a next time, though.

"Of course. Terra," she said dryly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Beast Boy scooted closer. "Hey, she's not all that bad. She's pretty cool once you get to know her."

"I'm sure your opinion of her isn't biased in any way," she deadpanned. His eyebrows rose in surprise at her remark. "Aren't you two...you know.." she hinted, secretly enjoying the way Beast Boy immediately blanched at her insinuation.

"What?! Me and..._Terra_? Why would you ever think that?" he was looking at her like she was crazy.

It was Raven's turn to be confused. "Because that's what Terra told me..?"

"Why would she say that? We've always been just friends." His eyes suddenly became glazed and starry, as if he was being offered the chance to meet Batman. "You don't think Terra likes me, do you?"

Now Raven really wanted to vomit. "Anyway..." she awkwardly muttered, moving to stand up.

"Wait, Raven, don't leave," he said. "I was just joking."

She eyed him skeptically. "No. You weren't."

"No. I wasn't," he chuckled. "But she really is more of a friend to me."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." Even though a part of her really wanted him to keep going and tell her that nothing would ever happen between him and Terra ever.

He nodded and smiled wryly, patting the seat next to him. In the end, she gave in and sat back down. They sat there quietly for a while, soaking in the view and each other's presence.

"How were you able to change your appearance so easily?" she suddenly asked, brow furrowed.

Beast Boy tapped one of the two rings he wore on both hands. "Cyborg's technology. Everyone on the team has their own pair for strict purposes. Robin figured it was time to put mine to good use, I guess."

"So, it works like a hologram?"

"Yeah, Cyborg calls them 'Holorings'. Pretty nifty stuff," he surmised faintly.

There was a sadness in his voice. She remembered what he had told her before at the school. _"What I'm asking is, is this your true appearance?" she gestured to him. There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he answered her. "At one point...yes, this was. But it's not anymore."_

"Garfield," she began quietly.

"Hey, it's cool. I'm alright," he turned and looked her in the eye. "Really. But thanks."

She didn't push it. She knew how much she hated it when other people pushed her. He was still looking at her, though. And suddenly the sound of the waves crashing and the gulls crying seemed to fade away as she held his eye contact. Suddenly, Slade's plans didn't seem so ominous and Terra was just another girl at their high school.

He was watching her, probing her face for some kind of clue, but she wasn't quite sure what he was searching for. She did happen to notice that the space between them seemed to be closing, however, and she nearly panicked. Nearly.

Just when she thought her life would never be the same, the beeping of a communicator startled the two heroes and they jumped away from each other. They both stood and gathered themselves awkwardly, neither wanting to be the first to say anything. The communicator beeped again and Beast Boy flipped it open impatiently. He seemed frustrated.

"Yeah?" he somewhat huffed.

Robin was eyeing them from the other end, perplexed by Beast Boy's foul mood. He regained his commanding composure quickly, though. Raven hovered nearby, listening for the message. "Beast Boy, Raven, we need you in the control room. Now."

At Robin's tone, Beast Boy's mood suddenly faltered. "Is it...?" he asked, concerned.

Robin's steely expression nearly confirmed it.

Slade.

XXXXX

Hehehhheheh thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! So, I want to have this story finished before the end of August because that's when I go back to school. Also, another huge reason is because I have a hugeeee list of BBxRae fanfics I'm dying to to read but I can't because I want to finish my own story first. I'm not saying I'm gonna rush to finish this or anything, I'm just setting a loose deadline for myself to motivate me to write more, maybe even make the chapters longer. RIght now, I feel like this story is gonna end up being roughly twenty-five chapters long, maybe more. I'll probably go into further details about the end goal for this story later, but for now, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

When Raven and Beast Boy got to the control room, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were all there waiting for them. Raven couldn't help but notice the sly grin Cyborg was blatantly shooting Beast Boy.

"So what mess did Slade leave for us to deal with this time?" Beast Boy asked tensely as he flopped down on the couch next to Cyborg. "Stolen tech? Ticking time bomb?"

Raven took a seat on the other side of Beast Boy and decided for now to simply sit back and observe the Titans in their element. She wasn't afraid to speak up if need be, but for the time being she wanted to see how they operated and coordinated as a team.

"Dude, quit it," she suddenly overheard Beast Boy whispering as he elbowed Cyborg. The large metal man chuckled and leaned back into the couch, folding his arms back behind his head and casting Raven a knowing glance. Beast Boy for his part just looked annoyed.

Robin stood in front of them by the massive television screen, arms crossed and serious with Starfire gracefully hovering next to him. She was watching their leader with concern and trepidation, a ritual that Raven suspected was quite routine when it came to Robin dealing with psychos like Slade.

"Guys, focus," Robin commanded. "Reports are circulating that there will be a possible disturbance in the west side of the Jump City wharf tonight. Local authorities have contacted me and are concerned about a potential break-in at one of the warehouses."

"How do we know this is Slade, though?" Beast Boy wondered out loud. Raven shifted her gaze to Robin, wondering exactly the same thing. Though it was very likely that this was Slade's doing, she preferred knowing all the facts before jumping into a situation. They couldn't just assume it was Slade, there had to be some sort of evidence or clue that it was him or they'd be running blindly and foolishly into battle.

Robin nodded to Cyborg, who then walked over to the computer and brought an image up on the screen. It wasn't obvious at first, but as she stared at the image, she finally caught the foreboding Slade drone in the far corner. Strangely enough, the drone appeared to be scoping out a large, nondescript warehouse. Her eyes probed the picture mercilessly, looking for anything else that could clue them in on what Slade was up to.

Starfire spoke up. "But what is Slade's fixation on this particular warehouse? Is it possible that he is hiding dangerous weaponry? Or perhaps he seeks to access its contents through destructive means?"

"That's what we're going to find out," Robin said.

"Could be a trap," Cyborg pointed out.

"Could be, but I'd rather chance it than let Slade get away with anything."

Beast Boy sighed from his spot on the couch. "So what's the plan?" He glanced at Raven briefly before returning to Robin. She knew what he was thinking, that it was Raven's turn; that this was where she stepped in and became the valuable asset they needed. The Titans had extra help this time, a secret weapon, and Slade was going to get his ass whooped before he even realized what hit him.

Starfire and Cyborg looked at Robin expectantly, waiting for their orders. Robin remained austere. "Tonight, the four of us will investigate the wharf, leave no stone unturned. If the rumors are true, and Slade does make an appearance, we'll be ready for him."

Raven frowned. Did he say the _four _of them? Apparently, Beast Boy had noticed too. "Uhh, Robin? What do you mean the four us? In case you forgot, we're a team of five now." For now, anyway.

Cyborg and Starfire exchanged nervous looks. Robin didn't even blink. Beast Boy stood, his brow furrowed. "You know...Raven? She's here, she has powers...she wants to help? Ringin' any bells?"

Raven locked eyes with Robin. What now, Robin? She wondered what went on in that over-gelled head of his. Why was he so hell-bent on Raven staying on the sidelines? It was so frustrating. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way or cause more trouble within the group, but dammit he was wasting her abilities. She got it, he was concerned about her safety, blah blah blah, but Raven had a say in all of this too, and right now her life seemed a hell of a lot less significant in comparison to the lives of innocents.

Robin was addressing her now. "I'm sorry, Raven. But this is the way it has to be."

She nodded. "It's your case and your team, Robin. I understand. But a little more explanation would be appreciated," she replied dryly. Starfire stepped forward, sensing the tension between them. Raven noticed that for once, Starfire's negative emotions were not aimed at her. Surprisingly, they were directed toward Robin.

"Robin, even I am quite 'the mind blown' that you are excluding Raven from this mission. She seems most capable of defending herself, does she not?" she broached cautiously.

"It's more than that, Starfire," he said.

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "Well then, why don't you enlighten us?"

Beast Boy was practically growling behind her. She shot him a glare, and with a huff he resigned to sitting back down on the couch, lips pursed in a pout. "The floor's all yours, Robin," she reiterated.

Robin was staring down at the ground. "Look, I wish you could come with us, I really do," he almost seemed apologetic about the whole ordeal. "But it's not just you I have to worry about. What if Slade somehow gets to you? I know you're strong, Raven, but I don't know how strong. I can't risk Slade using you to endanger the lives of Jump City any further."

The room was silent. Even Raven had no rebuttal to that. He was right. An asshole, but right. She'd never been up against anyone like Slade before in her whole life. Sure, her father was Trigon the Terrible, but she'd never actually had to fight him or anything (for now, at least). If Slade got a hold of Raven and her powers, it would just mean misery for everyone, including her. She knew she couldn't live with herself if she somehow became a pawn in someone else's sinister bidding...no pun intended.

Feeling defeated and useless, Raven sank numbly into the couch. Beast Boy wasn't giving up just yet, though. "I'm sorry Robin, but that's a bullshit call," he argued.

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but Raven beat him to it. "It's alright, Beast Boy," she placed a hand on one of his strong, broad shoulders, hoping to placate his frustration. "He's right."

"No, screw that, he's wrong about you, Raven," he said. Cyborg grinned at his best friend's sudden outburst. "If there's anything I've learned about Raven in the past few days, it's that she puts the good of the innocent over herself. She doesn't care what happens to her as long as she can protect the people around her."

Starfire's mouth was slightly ajar and her eyes were shining. "I do the shipping of it so solidly," she breathed. Cyborg, seemingly the only person who had actually heard the alien, flashed her the same confused look he gave her whenever she spoke her native Tamaranian.

"What are you saying, Beast Boy?" Robin asked tautly. "You think she should come along with us?"

Beast Boy was brimming with confidence. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he stepped closer to Robin, speaking calmly. "She may be a pain in the ass, but she's not stupid, Robin. Just give her a chance."

The air shifted as Robin mulled over Beast Boy's proposition. Truthfully, Raven didn't know if she was grateful to Beast Boy or just plain annoyed. The pressure would be relentless from now on, to perform well and exceed their expectations, to resist Slade's attempts and act rationally. Anyone else might argue that these were simple pressures, and that someone like Raven would have no trouble completing all of the above. But it was different in battle. Instinct had a bad habit of knocking logic out cold.

Robin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, Raven, it seems I've been overruled. Show us what you've got."

Relief coursed through her veins. Guess she was grateful after all.

"Glorious!" Starfire rejoiced, eyes glittering.

"BUT-" Robin objected.

Raven looked at him and waited. His face was solemn. "You need to remember, this is Slade we're up against. Don't wander off by yourself no matter what. In fact, Beast Boy, since you seem to be Raven's number one fan lately, I want you to stick with her at all times tonight."

"Seems fair," he muttered as his cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Alright, everyone, be ready to go on my call. Until then, try to rest up. We all need to be on high alert tonight," Robin announced.

It was officially the end of their meeting. Cyborg adjourned to his room, stating something about checking his battery power before go-time. Meanwhile, Robin skulked back over to the computer, reopening the wharf images and dissecting every detail senselessly. Starfire could be heard making a mess in the kitchen, proclaiming confidently that she was going to make Robin something to eat so he would have the strength to fight tonight.

With wandering eyes dissipated and distracted, Raven turned to Beast Boy. "Thanks," she offered shyly.

He gifted her a small smile in return. "No problem."

But before he had a chance to make the moment any cheesier, she stood up and informed him that she was going back to her room. She needed to meditate and get everything in check for tonight. Because if anything went wrong tonight, it sure as hell would not be Raven's fault. She would not let them down.

Raven was deep in meditation a couple hours later when she was interrupted by a loud knock on her door. With a flick of her wrist, the door whooshed open, revealing a curious and almost gawking Cyborg perched in the hallway.

"Uhh...hey Raven. Mind if I come in?" he asked hesitantly.

Actually, seeing as how she was right in the middle of meditation, she did rather mind. But one look at Cyborg's kind face was enough to convince her otherwise. She stepped down from her levitating position and gestured for him to enter.

She noticed his brief once-over of her, but left it alone. It wasn't a creepy or leering type of appraisal. He was just sizing her up as a person. Azar knew she did it to nearly everyone she ever met, so who was she to judge? "Something on your mind?" she wondered finally.

Realization flooded his face. "Oh! Yeah, sorry, I was-I was just wondering how you're feelin' about all this? About...about everything?"

Well that certainly wasn't vague. "Fine," she said evenly. Truthfully, she was a little nervous about tonight's mission. She'd be walking around with a huge, obnoxious target on her back if it was in fact Slade they were dealing with. She kind of wished they were dealing with a minor villain or a less sticky situation so she could get more comfortable with the team and how they operated before dealing with their biggest baddie of all. There was a lot riding on tonight.

"You sure?" he asked.

Raven nodded plainly, not wanting her emotions to betray her. "Gotta say, I think it's really brave what you're doin', Raven," he admitted sincerely. The more time she spent with Cyborg, the more she felt their sibling-like connection foster and grow. He was so much more than a good hero, he was also a good person.

A part of her wished they actually could be related. But deep down she knew that that deal was selfish and came with plenty of complications, her father obviously at the top of the list. Besides, blood ties were seriously overrated in Raven's book. The family you make outside of your biological shackles can end up being the greatest family you ever had. People spend lifetimes chasing after some sense of family, a place to call home.

Her brow furrowed. "You'd do the same if you were in my position, Cyborg."

The large man smiled. "I'd like to think I would," he then looked up at her seriously. "Just be careful tonight, okay Raven?"

Raven nodded earnestly. It was nice to know that someone besides Beast Boy cared if she made it back to the Tower tonight. Cyborg turned around and began walking out the door. "Don't let Beast Boy get distracted," he commented slyly before the door closed behind him.

She was alone in her room again. There was still time to kill before the evening showed its face, so she gathered herself up into the lotus position again and started repeating her mantra. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos..."

Another couple of hours later, Robin called them all back to the control room, the night's strategy set in his mind. The Titans seemed fresh and ready for battle, with the exception of Robin of course, who looked tense as usual.

"Okay team," he began, pointedly eyeing Raven as he addressed them. "Tonight, we'll split up and search the wharf, starting with the west side. After that, we'll sweep through the rest of the wharf. As you all already know, Slade is our prime suspect in all this."

The leader paused and looked around at the four of them. His expression was somber, but Raven detected the slightest tinge of fear as well. "I want you all to be especially careful tonight. If you detect anything, call for back-up on the communicators. We can't take any chances with _him_."

They each nodded curtly, the pressure and anticipation of tonight weighing heavily on them. Cyborg spoke up. "So, who's teaming up with who?"

Seeing that his message was clear, Robin resumed with his plan as if the previous moment of grave sobriety had never happened. "Beast Boy and Raven will be one pair, obviously. Cyborg, you and Starfire will be another pair."

Starfire's confusion was immediate. "But Robin, who will you be performing the search with then?"

"I will conduct the search on my own."

There seemed to be a moment of mental uproar between Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy as they digested this information. Raven could feel their reactions radiating off of them heatedly. Although she was agitated that Robin was going against his own advice from earlier, she didn't quite understand why the rest of the Titans were so upset.

Beast Boy and Cyborg seemed to find their words at the same time.

"Dude, what are you thinking?!"

"Man, haven't you learned from the last time?!"

"You of all people, dude! Really now? _Really_?"

"I swear man, every time we face Slade you let your damn pride get to you and you turn into an ass! You're crazy if you think we're gonna let you do this!"

Robin remained set in his plan though. "We can cover more ground if we have three groups searching instead of two," he stated.

"Ground my ass! You're just being stubborn! And it's not a third 'group' if it's just you, man!" Cyborg pointed out angrily.

Touché. "Look guys, this isn't like last time! I can handle-"

"Robin."

Robin stopped and met Starfire's concerned eyes. "How can you know for certain that you will be safe?" she inquired sadly. "Have you forgotten that Slade finds a perverse joy in testing you? In bringing you sorrow?"

His face softened at that. "I won't make the same mistakes again, Starfire," his hand went to her bare shoulder, stroking it slightly. "I promise."

Starfire looked down and nodded slowly, but she hardly seemed convinced. Meanwhile Raven felt infinitely out of the loop on this conversation. While it was obvious to her that Slade "favored" Robin the most out of the Titans, the extent of that relationship was murky and undoubtedly painful to say the least.

She glanced at a seething Beast Boy next to her, hoping to find some clarity in the situation. He said nothing, but his expressive eyes communicated otherwise. They were ladened with grief and worry, but a sudden shift also told her that this conflict was something he would explain later, when it was just the two of them.

Robin exhaled heavily. "Alright guys, you win. I'll pair up with Cyborg and Starfire," he smiled wearily. "That way when Slade strikes, no one will be left alone."

The tension in the air dissipated immediately after that. Starfire, being the most relieved, swept Robin up into a tight embrace that had him choking for air. When she finally released him, Raven couldn't tell if his profuse flush was from his significant loss of oxygen or Starfire's sudden intimacy with him. Those two certainly were fun to watch.

Robin coughed nervously, still beet red. "Alright team, let's head out. TITANS, GO!"

XXXXX

This chapter was supposed to end with them already at the wharf but I got so caught up in the dialogue and all that other stuff that I decided that this was a good place to end for now. See you guys next chapter! Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**lalalavaun: **Oh my goodness thank you so much! that really means a lot to me.

**Darksummoner98: **Raven always kicks ass no matter what. And thank you for the compliment, really thank you.

**adorestories: **Hahaha yes, Starfire did say that she shipped bbxrae.

**CleoArrow: **Thank you so much for all your reviews and your little comments. I really do enjoy seeing what you write every time, so thanks. Means a lot.

It's late, so I'm not gonna blabber on and on right here like I usually do. Just enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

The evening spoke of dread. The wharf was exceedingly quiet considering the hour, the distant blare of industrial ships muffled by the eery fog that loomed. The air was chill now that the sun had departed from the horizon. Not even the gulls were crying, as if they knew something was amiss.

Raven herself was uncharacteristically nervous. Like the gulls, her instincts also prodded at her, warning her that something was indeed strange about tonight. Her ashy-grey skin prickled with goose bumps, the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up like a wary cat. It was hard to judge what her instincts were warning her about though. Seeing as that they were dealing with the psychotic and bloodthirsty Slade, of course something was fallacious about the whole evening. But what? What, if possible, was even more wrong?

She turned and looked at Beast Boy, who was eyeing the muggy twilight above them with brutal skepticism. Being part animal, he seemed to sense something too. They had all split into their two groups the moment they arrived at the wharf, Robin once again stressing caution before him, Starfire, and Cyborg headed north, leaving Raven and Beast Boy with the south end. They had agreed to meet up in forty-five minutes at the epicenter of the west side.

Raven was still a little surprised at Robin's decision to pair off with Starfire and Cyborg rather than her and Beast Boy. With the way he had been treating her lately, she figured he'd want to keep an eye on her at all times, especially tonight.

But then she remembered his reaction to Starfire earlier in the control room, when she had nearly pleaded with him to reconsider his solitary search party. Those two shared an interesting past, there was no doubt about that. It was obvious they would do anything to keep the other safe, yet somehow they also both managed to completely overlook the fact that they were both crazy about each other. Either that, or they were both too stubborn to do anything about it, to be the first one to make the move. It all just seemed so silly to her.

Thank Azar she wasn't stuck in that kind of situation.

Raven sighed, watching curiously as her breath turned foggy in the night air. They had been here for over twenty minutes, and they still hadn't found a single clue or detail to lead them to Slade. Beast Boy's elfin-like ears instantly perked at her exasperation, distracting him from his previous suppositions. "What's wrong?" he asked, his green eyes searching her.

She remembered Cyborg's parting words of advice from earlier in her room and shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking," she replied in monotone.

Beast Boy had resumed his inspection of the area, morphing briefly into a hound to sniff at the rough ground below them. "About...?" he prompted after returning to his human form. He picked up some loose gravel and examined it before allowing it to drop from his hands.

"It's not important." She tapped into her soul-self, listening for anything out of the ordinary. An extra heartbeat, anything.

"If your mind is dwelling on it, then it's important," he answered sagely. He was bent down on one knee examining the gravel again, as if something about the formation of the stray pebbles didn't sit well with him.

Raven rolled her eyes at his remark and focused on the details of the nearby warehouses, scrutinizing for anything out of place or even familiar from the image Robin had pulled up earlier.

Maybe they were in the wrong part of the wharf. Maybe Slade had sent that drone to the west side on purpose, knowing that the camera's would pick it up. There were so many endless possibilities it made her head spin with disgust. They could be here all night and still wind up finding nothing. Because that's what Slade did. He played games. And the worst part was, he enjoyed it, he got off on it.

"We should be focusing on the task at hand, not chit-chatting," she reminded Beast Boy sternly.

He chuckled at her seriousness. "You're starting to sound like Robin. Maybe you should wear a mask from now on," he teased.

Raven wasn't as amused, however. Maybe Cyborg should have come with them to mediate and keep Beast Boy on his toes. "Well, maybe Robin has the right idea."

He regarded her thoughtfully before shrugging noncommittally and morphing back into a hound, sniffing out the perimeter of a nearby warehouse with the utmost of interest. While she was more than glad to drop the conversation so they could get back to business, there was something about the way _he_ dropped it that made her suspicious.

Raven was a a lot of things, but she wasn't an idiot. She'd already figured that the Titans had many secrets and kept them from the public for the sake of the "greater good", secrets they may never even feel comfortable confiding to Raven, no matter what the situation.

And while she certainly held no major qualms about that, this was one secret she felt she deserved to know. Anything the Titans knew about Slade should have been placed in a binder on her bed the moment she got into the Tower. This was one villain you couldn't afford to keep secrets about without risking the safety of others.

She remembered Beast Boy's silent message to her in the control room, that there was something that had happened between Robin and Slade not too long ago, that he would explain when the time was right. Was this the right time? They were supposed to be focused on one task and one task alone tonight; she couldn't count how many times everyone had warned her about that. But then when would there ever be a better time for him to tell her? Especially if things went unfavorably tonight...

Still maintaining a position of high-alert, she sought Beast Boy's attention once again, gritting her teeth, nevertheless. "Garfield."

She set her jaw when she realized he was pretending he hadn't heard her, still sniffing out the warehouses diligently. "Garfield," she tried again, this time with more urgency. She was more than tempted to use her powers to chuck a rock at him by this point.

Still, he continued his investigation and ignored her. Funny thing was, if she really was in trouble or was trying to warn him about something, they'd be shit out of luck with this stupid game he was currently playing. She knew he could hear her, his tail was practically wagging at her audible frustration.

Raven was forgetting though that in his current dog form, he'd know danger was coming before she even sensed it. He was taking advantage of their briefest moments of safety to be playful. After tonight, it was all up in the air, anything could happen. Who knew when he'd get a chance to be this light with her ever again. And if danger weren't lurking so close by, he might've taken the opportunity to be a little more than just frisky with her.

She drew in a slow, clenched breath. "Beast Boy," she gnashed. The game was over for him at that point, whimpering slightly under her usage of his meta-human alias.

He un-morphed and met her glare with a smirk. "Feeling scared, Raven? Need me to hold your hand?"

"Is there something I should know about Robin and Slade?" she asked soberly, getting right to the point. They didn't have time for their usual bantering tonight.

Beast Boy drew in a breath and glanced around warily, listening for any signs of disturbance and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. He could multi-task if needed be. "Look, Raven, I'll tell you, but there's something you've gotta understand first."

She nodded numbly, urging him to go on, her senses vigilant.

"Robin was forced into...a situation with Slade a few months ago," he began seriously, shifting his gaze to her every so often to gauge her reaction to the conversation. "It's easy to be mad at him at first for what he did, but you've gotta remember that he didn't have much of a choice."

His green eyes stayed on her as he let slip the next piece of information. "For a short time, Robin...was Slade's apprentice."

Raven's eyes widened considerably, her jaw slightly slack. For a moment her lungs forgot they were lungs, and her brain had to swiftly remind them that oxygen was necessary for the body to work. Robin...an apprentice to Slade? Robin, the Boy Wonder, the proud leader of the Teen Titans? It was mind boggling, the very idea of it all.

On some level, she realized, a part of her might've known this was true before even hearing of it. It certainly explained Robin's venomous attitude toward Slade, his obsessive determination to take him down and rid the world of him. She couldn't help thinking that Robin and Slade may even be alike in those ways, though she wouldn't dare voice that opinion out loud. It must have been such a struggle, such a hard time for both him and his team. She couldn't even imagine what Slade had put them through to secure Robin's apprenticeship.

"...How?" she whispered. It was all she could manage to say at the moment.

"Believe me, Robin didn't make it easy for him. To make a long story short, Slade used us as blackmail. If Robin didn't do exactly what Slade told him to do, he'd punish us physically, which, as you can imagine, punished Robin emotionally." Beast Boy was pacing cautiously now, finishing his examination of the area while Raven stood there shocked and useless.

If Slade had gotten to Robin, what hope was there for her? What chance did she have in all of this?

She swallowed hard and snapped to attention, realizing that she had let her guard down like afool. Her soul-self reached out into the abyss of the night, searching for any sort of danger. There was nothing. For the moment, they were still alone. They needed to finish up and meet with the others soon, though.

It was going to be a long night.

A thought struck her suddenly. "How did you guys...stop him?" she wondered faintly. Maybe there was hope for her, after all.

Beast Boy stopped his pacing. His eyes traced hers meaningfully before a small grin surfaced on his face. "Same way we always do. We work together, and we don't give up."

He sauntered over to her, his gaze entrancing. His eyes were kind and hopeful, and for the first time in a long while, Raven felt hopeful too. "No matter what," he murmured assuredly. His breath was warm and his close presence was causing her cheeks to flush. But she felt safe.

A short moment later, as if remembering where they were, his posture stiffened and he stepped back. She could feel his sudden frustration with himself, but didn't really understand the cause. "This area's clear. It's time for us to meet up with the other three," he stated with a tinge of disappointment. "Ready to go?"

She nodded and gestured for him to lead the way, hoping to lighten his mood a little. While it was great that he was focused and taking this more seriously, she understood that Beast Boy was one of those people who worked better when loosened up, not wound up tight. Taking the assignment seriously was one thing, allowing your emotions to distract you was something completely different, and she didn't need Garfield any more distracted than he already was.

She was comforted when he smiled a little at her subtle baiting. "There's no way I'm walking in front of you, Raven. Who's to say you won't trip me?" he laughed softly, before instantly growing serious again. "And besides, what if someone grabs you from behind?"

Raven huffed and rolled her eyes, wondering when he started being so paranoid about her safety all of a sudden. "Fine, Garfield, we'll walk side by side. Happy?" she deadpanned.

There was mischief in his eyes. "Getting there," he answered placidly. He waited for her to start walking before he followed suit, matching her pace evenly. They walked in silence most of the way back, keeping a sharp eye and ear out for anyone or anything lurking in the fog. She wondered if the other three Titans had better luck in their search, though she figured they would have contacted her and Beast Boy by now if they had indeed found anything.

It was getting colder as the moon rose higher in the night sky, the fog slightly dispersing in its angelic lunar light. Ten minutes passed before the two finally met up with the others. Just like Raven and Beast Boy, they had also discovered nothing of significance. They looked troubled, yet at the same time relieved at their finding of nothing.

This was not in any way the end of their night though, this merely meant that they'd have to split up and search another part of the wharf. They wouldn't stop until they found something, even if it took all night.

Robin cleared his throat, the night's expectations gnawing away at him already. The team fell hushed under his commanding presence. "Let's head to the east side and split up again from there."

The traverse to the east side of the wharf was even more tense than the one she and Beast Boy had shared earlier. Raven had the distinct feeling that the other three were hardly swapping stories or teasing each other while on their rabid manhunt for Slade up in the north end.

Knowing Robin, it was probably all business and nothing else. Of course, that didn't necessarily put them in the wrong. In fact, it was quite the opposite. After all, isn't that what she and Beast Boy were supposed to be doing? One hundred percent focused, one hundred percent of the time?

Suddenly, she felt guilty for letting Beast Boy distract her so easily, for even distracting him sometimes herself. This was not what she had promised herself before coming out tonight. She'd sworn to be on guard the whole time, to put the Titans' and the city's safety before her own. And what does she do? Spends most of the evening convincing Beast Boy to spill stories about his teammates that really had nothing to do with her in the first place.

The stakes were higher than usual tonight and someone could have easily gotten hurt because of her selfishness. Beast Boy could have gotten hurt, and the Titans would have never forgiven her. She'd never forgive herself, quite frankly.

Then, out of nowhere, Robin abruptly halted in his tracks. Before anyone could say anything, he held up his palm to them to indicate the importance of their silence, his other hand's index finger rising to meet his lips to promote the same idea as well.

The Titans quickly braced themselves for battle, each taking a defensive stance. Raven followed suit, bringing the hood of her cloak up to shadow her face. The team of five now stood valiantly in a circle, their backs facing each other as they listened and waited for the enemy to strike.

Starfire's eyes glowed a ferocious green, her fists soon alighting with the same sensation as her alien instincts took over and her feet lifted from the ground. Cyborg's arm had once again been converted into his powerful sonic cannon as he crouched in the ready position, his circuits illuminated in blue as energy surged through his body.

Beast Boy had abandoned his human form in favor of the menacing physique of a tiger, claws drawn out in suspense, hungry for the battle. Robin clutched two Birdarangs in one hand, and in the other, his tried and true metal staff, his left eye twitching steadily at the very thought of facing Slade tonight.

And then there was Raven. The sorceress' cloak billowed around her like a protective wraith, her eyes darkening as her soul-self sought to emerge. Her hands crackled with its fierce, dark energy and her lips begged to chant the three words that would release her soul-self upon the unsuspecting enemy. She'd never been so scared yet so excited in her whole life.

The silence grew deafening. Raven could practically feel her ears straining at the slightest tickle of a breeze. A small buzz began to fill her head as the maddening anticipation sought to claim them. Soon, her senses were on overdrive, blocking out the very sound of her own breathing as her heart thundered against her rib cage. And still the enemy refused to attack, waiting them out patiently.

She could sense a multitude of presences watching them, cold and calculating. Yet the team still remained calm and collected, their muscles itching for a fight as they endured, frozen in place as they awaited Robin's intuitive orders.

XXXXX

That's it for this week. Let me know what you liked or didn't like, and as always, thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry this one took so long, I had severe writer's block while attempting to write this chapter. I think this one was so difficult because Slade's move had to be very Slade-like of course, but then I started over analyzing it because I found myself copying things he actually did on the show and it was frustrating because I felt like my ideas were just going in circles. So, this is what I ended up with, I hope you guys like it because this was probably the hardest chapter for me to write so far. With that being said, enjoy!

Oh and by the way...

OVER 200 REVIEWS ARE YOU GUYS INSANE?! You guys must be insane to review my story that often. Thank you so much guys I love you all and I couldn't have done this without all of you. Holy crap you're all the best.

**Darksummoner98: **Hahaha seriously Beast Boy was the one who should've gone to get Raven back in the The End arc! Like seriously, the writers missed out on a lot of potentially awesome BBxRae moments by sending Robin. As I've mentioned before though, Raven's prophecy will not be mentioned in this story. That would be a massive undertaking for me as a writer.

**Karali: **Thank you so much! *squeals*

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

"Steady guys," Robin cautioned authoritatively.

Raven's violet eyes strained to scan the vicinity around her, attempting to calculate their options. If things went more sour than planned, she wanted to be sure they had a way out. As of right now, Slade held the upper hand, the coveted element of surprise. Surely, there was no harm in familiarizing herself with their surroundings?

As if sensing their impending danger, the fog had unfortunately decided to thicken, feeling heavy like soup. The thickness of the fog might've been advantageous for them had they not already been spotted by their enemy. From what she could tell though, they were not necessarily cornered. Vaguely, she could make out the different paths and alleys lending from their location, various escape routes they could make use of, if needed.

The more she thought about it, the more she found it strange that Slade had chosen this location. Why not wait until they were stuck in a warehouse or caught in a dead-end? Why here? Why now? It was as if he was taunting them, increasing their paranoia before he attacked them for real. Which, at this point, honestly wouldn't surprise Raven in the least, and she doubted the Titans were expecting anything less from Slade, themselves.

"Raven, can you sense how many?" Robin suddenly asked, dragging her out of her thoughts.

"...More than a dozen," she replied tensely, eager to get this fight over with.

But still, there was nothing. No noise, no movement.

Nothing.

Hypothetically, Slade was only waiting for their guard to come down before giving the okay to attack. If that was the case, he'd be waiting a long time. The Titans were as still as statues, refusing to give in to Slade's intimidations.

Her breath caught, however, when she felt the air change around them. Instantly, her posture stiffened, her fists luminescing darkly. This was it.

But just as soon as she thought they would finally strike, the presences vanished from the fog, as if they were never even there to begin with. Like it had all been a simple trick of the mind, an illusion.

Likewise, the Titans were stunned into silence. Even Robin seemed a little thrown off.

"Okayyy..." Beast Boy mumbled, having resumed human form. Raven sent him a wry glance. Took the words right out of her mouth.

"Stay alert, Titans," Robin admonished as he continued to stare off into the fog, waiting for it to betray them.

Suddenly, Starfire cried out, "There!"

The remaining four snapped their heads in her direction, just in time to witness a not-so-subtle shadow running toward a nearby warehouse.

"Follow it!" Robin ordered.

The three boys took off in a sprint, with both Raven and Starfire electing air travel. The moisture in the mist clung to Raven's face like tiny dew droplets, and she was thankful for the refreshing sensation on her skin to wake her up. It was getting later into the night, and the toll on her energy was beginning to affect her body in the slightest ways.

They arrived at the back of the large warehouse in time to hear one of the massive metal doors slide shut with a clang.

"Anyone else having a serious déjà vu moment, here?" Cyborg asked incredulously, eyeing the scale of the inky building. Raven was curious what he meant by that, but there was no time to dwell on the implications.

She glanced cautiously at Robin, whose eyes were narrowed as he mulled over the many possibilities. The whole situation screamed "trap", and she didn't feel like it was necessary to point that out; she could tell by their faces that everyone else had already reached the same conclusion. But what other choice did they have? If they wanted Slade, risks had to be taken.

This was their job, their call to life. As meta-humans, they took the risks that others couldn't afford to take. Because if they didn't, who else would? Fear was not an option for them, and their personal safety was not a top priority.

Starfire watched Robin carefully as she awaited his response, resembling a warrior with her fierce posture. It was then that Raven caught Beast Boy staring at her. Raven looked at him expectantly, swallowing her nerves so he wouldn't notice her slight anxiety in the moment. As if reading her mind, he offered her a reassuring smile, to let her know that everything would be okay tonight.

She certainly hoped he was right.

Robin exhaled, seemingly coming to a conclusion of sorts in their strategy. "I know what this looks like guys, this whole situation. But it seems we don't have much of a choice." He waited for each of them to nod. "Let's give 'em hell," he intoned, a bitter smile sweeping across his lips before relaxing back into his determined frown.

Robin then turned to Raven, and immediately she knew what he was asking of her. Her soul-self reached out at the mighty sliding door and ripped it back within seconds, the weathered metal groaning at her abrupt use of force. Not needing to be told twice, the team of five charged into the under lit warehouse, impatient for battle.

Not for the first time that night, Slade proved he was still as tricky as ever.

Raven half expected there to be weapons of mass destruction or a secret lair or at least an army of soulless drones waiting for them. But no, there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. It was dark and empty, besides the various nondescript crates stacked along the walls.

As it turned out, it was just a regular, old warehouse.

There were no presences lurking that she could sense, either. They were alone, again, searching for clues on a wild goose chase to find a psychotic lunatic who obviously didn't want to be found.

It was absolutely frustrating.

Not just for her, though, on the others as well. She could read it on the Titans' faces, could feel it wafting off each of them like an acrid perfume. Unsurprisingly, Robin's was the strongest of the lot, and she could practically hear his teeth grinding in his mouth.

Starfire's stress and worry over a certain Boy Wonder was beginning to give her a particularly nasty headache. Cyborg's eye shifted heedfully at their leader as well, anticipating his reaction with a tentative swallow. Beast Boy's brow furrowed as his mouth opened and then closed, as if he was going to make a light remark but thought better of it.

They needed to move forward. She was aware of the difficulty and fragility of the situation, but at the end of the day, this was what Slade wanted. She didn't need to lead the Titans, she just needed to get them back on track.

"There's nothing here. We need to move on," she stated dryly, breaking the tense silence. A small part of her cringed at the lack of charm or tact she possessed in conversing with others. This was why she could never see herself leading a team like Robin. This was why she preferred being solo most of the time. Solo Raven couldn't care less if she was friendly or charming, she just wanted to get the job done.

Seeming to snap out of his trance, Robin rolled his shoulders back a few times and gathered his wits for the next course of action. "Search the warehouse," he ordered. "I want to be sure."

The team split up and began to wander off respectively, until Robin cleared his throat.

"Beast Boy."

Beast Boy stopped and looked at him questioningly. The Boy Wonder pointed to an expectant Raven. "Stay with her," he instructed solemnly.

The green teen nodded and walked over to Raven, a serious disposition settling over him. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whole ordeal. This babysitting thing was getting old for her quick. She had promised the Titans her full cooperation, but she was starting to wonder at what cost? They were in an empty warehouse, not some sketchy alleyway in the wharf. With her powers, she was the last person she had ever expected to need a babysitter.

"Shall we?" he smirked, gesturing for her to lead the way. With a sharp huff, she took off for the farthest corner of the muggy warehouse, Beast Boy hot on her heels. In silence, she began to search and contemplate every inch of the area, seeking to finish the tedious task quickly so they could move on to something else. She flushed slightly as she felt Beast Boy's eyes on her, wishing he would stop worrying about her so much.

"Stop staring at me," she monotoned, examining a stray crate with feigned curiosity.

He chuckled softly. "You think Robin's wasting time with this, don't you?"

She glanced at him impassively before continuing her search. "I think you're wasting time with this conversation."

"It's okay, you don't have to admit it out loud," he countered playfully. "The look on your face earlier told me everything I needed to know."

She succumbed to his taunt, cocking an eyebrow at him. "What look?"

His eyes were full of mirth as he held back a laugh. "I'd say that's pretty damn close, right there."

There was a huge temptation to scowl at him, but she thought better of it and waved him off, returning to her work. "It's not so much that I think this is a waste of time, it's more of that-"

"Shhh!" Beast Boy suddenly interrupted, rudely clamping a hand over her mouth. His ears were perked and flicking in all sorts of directions. "Do you hear that?"

She glared daggers at him, her inner self itching to come forth and bring his actions to justice. What in the world was he talking about? He was obviously insane. Too many tofu hotdogs had finally rotted his mind.

"Listen," he directed more calmly, as if hearing her agitated thoughts. He removed his hand from her mouth and stepped toward a part of the warehouse they had not combed through yet. His footsteps were light and cautious, as if not to awaken a sleeping giant. Raven sucked in a breath and quieted her heartbeat so she could observe whatever he was talking about.

Then, she heard it. It was subtle at first, as light as the beat of a moth's wings, as rhythmic as a heartbeat.

It was the flat ticking of a detonator.

Beast Boy seemed to recognize the owner of the sound around the same time she did. His eyes flew wide as he snapped to face her. "RUN!" he shouted, grabbing Raven's wrist as he sprinted to the exit. Upon hearing the distress in their teammate's voice, the other three Titans raced toward them with steadfast urgency.

Beast Boy frantically shook his head at them as they continued running, imploring them to retreat to somewhere safe. "There's a detonator in here! GET OUT!"

Forgetting herself completely, Raven kept pace with him, her mind screaming at the fierce danger. How much time did they have left until the detonator went off? It was hard to tell, but she gathered that with Slade's presence in all this, they hardly had any time at all. And who knew how large the explosion would actually be?

She bit her lip until she could swear she tasted blood. There had to be something she could do to help, to protect herself and the Titans.

She nearly smacked herself when she remembered who she was. Instinct could be such a nuisance sometimes.

Slowing her run until she was practically standing still, Raven threw her hood back up over her face and thrust her hands out in front of her potently. Her dark power crackled to life as she prepared to release her soul-self as a form of protection.

"Raven what are you doing?!" Beast Boy pleaded with her when he noticed she was no longer running next to him.

But there was no time to explain. She had to do it right now. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shrieked just as the detonator reached zero. There was a millisecond of vulnerability before the shield was thrown up and though it was only a millisecond, the physical pain was inescapable.

Being closest to the detonator, Raven endured the worst of it. Her skin screamed at the short blast of inferno and debris, her eyes stung at the brightness of the explosion. But once the shield was up, they were safe, and she was thankful she had acted in time.

A moment of mute stillness hung in the air as the explosion reached full potential. For a few minor seconds, the rest of the world seemed to fade out. It was only her and the inferno, challenging each other for dominance, each stubborn in their own indisputable ways. A glare was plastered on her face, though her eyes were beginning to squint and well-up from the severe flash of brilliant light.

She held on as long as she could, even though her body was already throbbing with signs of injury. Once the aftermath of the explosion waned, she at once collapsed in relief, her protective shield falling along with her. Her head swam with disorientation, and her were ears ringing with discomfort. It felt like hours before she heard the distant sound of footsteps edging towards her.

Feeling herself relax a little, she softly sighed. Thank goodness, they were safe.

With some effort, she managed to turn her head, and even allowed herself to smile a little. Her smile immediately vanished, however, when she spotted the four motionless bodies slumped over a few feet away from her. Bodies that suspiciously resembled the Teen Titans.

Her mind was having trouble processing what her eyes took in. She licked her lips and gulped, vaguely registering how dry her lips and mouth were. They didn't look seriously injured, maybe the shock of the blast had been too much and they had all simply passed out? This idea was hardly reassuring, though.

Her swooning body begged her to give in just as they had, but she'd be damned if she let herself pass out ever again. In vain, her right arm reached out, sluggishly sweeping across the cold floor.

"Gar...Garfield?" she murmured dizzily. What was happening? Why was she alone in all of this? He said he'd always be there for her, why wasn't he awake?

There was still the dreadful sound of footsteps creeping toward her. Something was terribly wrong about all this. All feelings of physical anguish were forced on the back burner as adrenaline began to seep through her body.

She needed to get up, she needed to help the Titans and get out of here. Oh, but it hurt so much to move.

Screw that, she could worry about her injuries later.

She was beginning to gather herself when she heard the footsteps halt at her feet. Her heart dropped to her stomach with anxiety. Certain that she would be haunted by this particular moment for the rest of her life, her eyes drifted to the foreboding figure towering over her like a phantom. She couldn't help the salty tears that welled up when she finally recognized him.

"Hello, Raven. I think it's about time you and I discussed your rather..._promising_ future."

Slade.

XXXXX

The story's definitely winding down now in case you guys were wondering. I just want to be sure to make something very clear though about this story. The "end" of this story isn't so much about closure as it is about the "..." (the dotdotdot aspect so to speak). Yes, this story will end with a sense of closure, but I'm also leaving it sort of open as well in case I ever decide to write a sequel in the future. Another reason is because I want the ending to be open to your guys' interpretations. I think it's fun when the author allows their readers to be a little imaginative with the story.

Anyways...

Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

Enjoy this chapter, that's all I ask.

**Valkariekain: **Hahaha aren't the feels just the worst? I loved your comment, thank you.

**Karali: **Thank you so much you have no idea what that means to me.

**K-chan's Kisses: **And thank YOU for reading and reviewing this!

**Lord-of-Change: **Oh my gosh no that was definitely NOT the last chapter that would be horrible if I left you guys hanging like that. I'll be sure to let you guys know when the last chapter is don't worry. Sorry about the confusion.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

"Slade," Raven breathed, still lying helplessly on her back.

Even with his face hidden behind the mask, she could still see his smug grin. "Ahh, so the Titans have finally divulged my identity. I must say, that is very surprising."

The asshole was actually trying to bait her, he actually thought she'd be stupid enough to go along with all of this. In an effort to stall for time, though, she decided to humor him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Slade took his time before replying. "Honestly, Raven, I'm a little disappointed you sought their help in the first place. Surely, someone like you should know better."

Feeling the physical pain begin to ebb, she sat up fully and glared at him in contempt. "I don't have to defend myself or my actions to a psychopath like you," she sneered. She hated how cornered she felt, how he seemed to know exactly which buttons to push. She hated _him_ in totality, as a matter of fact.

Despite her scornful tone, Slade remained impassive and began to pace the floor slowly, his hands resting behind his broad back. To Raven's terror, he chuckled, albeit cruelly. "It does not surprise me that they would refer to me in such a way. Their intention is to leave you in the dark, after all."

"Yeah, because ambushing someone in their apartment is such an innocent and normal thing to do," she scoffed. Who did this guy think he was kidding?

"Think what you want, your biased opinions do not hinder me in the slightest. At least I can say that I have been open about my intentions from the start. I have never tried to take advantage of you the way they do, Raven."

He was such a shameless liar it made her nauseous. But a small part of her couldn't help but wonder what he meant by the Titans taking advantage of her. "Let me guess? You only have _good _intentions for me?" she inquired sarcastically.

Slade stopped pacing and leaned in until he was a mere few inches from her face. "On the contrary, my dear, I have only the opposite," he leered. He remained there for what seemed like hours before finally pulling away and resuming his tortuous treading.

Raven's heart was pounding a mile a minute now. She quickly glanced over at the still incapacitated Titans, wishing desperately that at least one of them was conscious so she could have some back-up. For the love of Azar, how in the hell was she the only one who didn't pass out? It was like the world was playing yet another cruel joke on her, and once again, she was not amused at all.

Maybe the Titans just needed another few minutes to wake up. "So what's this grand proposition, Slade? Are you gonna force me to be your apprentice just like you did with Robin?" she scowled, praying she looked unruffled by his presence rather than intimidated. She'd just have to manage without help for a while.

If Slade was at all surprised by her knowledge of his past, he didn't show it. "Well, you see Raven, I'm afraid persuading you will be much more challenging than persuading Robin."

She swallowed hard. "How do you figure?"

"Oh, it's quite simple, really. Unlike Robin, I have no one to blackmail you with," he answered with a vicious tranquility. "You're alone, Raven. Laughably so, in fact."

A deep throbbing in her head signaled that Rage was getting wound up. Truthfully, nothing would make Raven happier than to let Rage have a go at ripping Slade limb from limb, but in the end she knew she could not allow that to happen. Most often, Rage left Raven at her most vulnerable, her most careless state, leaving Raven to deal with the aftermath when it was all over. Rage's unpredictably would put everyone in danger, including the Titans, and they were counting on her.

"Really? That's the best you can do?" she countered stonily, seeking to placate the venomous Rage building inside. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that."

At that, Slade stopped and studied her with a spine-chilling intensity. "Tut tut, Raven," he scolded. "I must say, I'm rather dissatisfied with your ignorance on this matter. With your reputation, I expected far better from you."

She stood frozen by his cutting words, staring him darkly in the eye.

"You think the Titans actually care about you? About your safety?" he continued self-righteously.

Somehow, she managed to find her voice. "And you expect me to believe that you do? You're nothing but a desperate coward," she retorted. He was trying to plant seeds of doubt in her mind. It was his strategy for luring her in, and she had to admit, it was a damn good one. Not only was Rage continuing to build steam, but Timid's small voice of doubt was beginning to gain volume as well.

"Why do you think they 'allowed' you to come out here tonight?" Slade challenged, ignoring her insult with ease.

Raven felt her fists ball up at her sides. "It was _my_ choice to come, their decisions have nothing to do with this. It's obvious you're grasping at straws-"

"What's _obvious_, Raven, is that you're refusing to see what's right in front of you," he glowered malevolently, his voice suddenly booming in the chill night air. He strode over to her again, this time not stopping until she could swear she felt his cold mask on her skin.

"The Titans are using you, Raven," he stated indifferently, like it was common knowledge. Disgusted, she jerked away from him, but is was useless. His strong, meaty hands were on her face in seconds, forcing her to look at him as he continued to torture her. "They've been using you to get to me all along."

"Liar," she whispered hollowly, not quite sure what to think anymore. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be. Not only was the accusation outrageous, it was also deplorable. The Titans were heroes, they would never lead Raven or anyone else to slaughter like this. Beast Boy would never even consider such a thing, let alone let his own teammates go through with it.

Slade was lying, he had to be.

Timid was on overdrive by now though, and the little grey-cloaked emotion just couldn't seem to shut up. Maybe this was the Titans' plan all along, and Beast Boy didn't know about it? Or worse, maybe Beast Boy had known all along?

Maybe they really were using Raven to get to Slade. Robin was obsessed with the psycho after all, he probably figured there was no harm in using the strange sorceress girl as live bait.

She'd only known them all for about a week, what the hell was she doing placing her life in their hands? They didn't care about her, they never had. Beast Boy was either oblivious or acting, and right now she couldn't decide what was worse. Maybe she really was alone in all this, and had been from the very beginning.

"You want my advice?" Slade asked devilishly, relishing in the resonant doubt in her voice. His grip on her jaw tightened painfully. "Forget about the Titans. They're only holding you back, anyway."

He paused, leaving her time to contemplate his proposal along with the bruises he was harshly imprinting into her grey skin. As if having second thoughts, he cocked his head at her amusedly. "Or rather, don't forget about them; use their betrayal as your motivation for revenge."

"You're insane," she spat.

"Think about it, Raven," he taunted, digging his fingers into her face with even more force. "I could train you, mold you into the fearsome sorceress you were meant to be. The Titans would stand no chance against you."

Raven exhaled shakily. This was getting out of control.

In desperation, her eyes drifted over to Beast Boy. He looked so innocent and relaxed in his state of unconsciousness, blissfully unaware of the madness taking place before him.

How could someone like him ever have anything to do with what Slade was suggesting? And even if his team was keeping it from him, he would've stopped at nothing until he found out what they were planning. Because he wasn't stupid, he was clever and determined and passionate about what he did.

Scornfully, she narrowed her eyes at Slade. No way in hell was he telling the truth. The Titans weren't trying to use her, _he _was.

Out of nowhere, one of his hands began to roughly stroke her cheek. "So much untapped potential..." he murmured hauntingly, appraising her like she was a piece of meat.

It was then that something inside Raven snapped. She'd had enough.

"_NO_!" she protested furiously. Her soul-self reached out, brusquely propelling Slade into a distant pile of rubble. Rage was salivating, demanding to be included in all the fun, but Raven fought to keep her inside.

With one hand powerfully thrust outwards, she encased Slade in her dark power and lifted him out of the rubble. She drove her hand down, then up again, then down again, slamming him into the bricks over and over until she thought she heard something snap. Carelessly, she chucked him harshly into the wall of another warehouse not too far away, a little satisfied when she heard him groan slightly.

She raced over to Beast Boy and began to shake him by his shoulders, glancing in Slade's direction every now and then to make sure he was still down. "Garfield, wake up! You have to wake up, right now!" she commanded urgently.

In response, he mumbled something in sleepy gibberish before half-heartedly batting her away. Raven glared at him, her patience long gone despite his reasons for being knocked out in the first place. "I swear to Azar, Garfield..." she huffed, slapping his face to get some kind of response from him.

She gasped when she felt hands gripping her shoulders from behind. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that," Slade hissed into her ear. With brutal force, he dragged her away from Beast Boy and tossed her like a rag doll into the concrete. She swore when she felt something in her knee crack, but wasted no time getting up.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she cried out, her power finding a number of cinder blocks and proceeding to throw them at Slade, who was charging toward her.

He dodged them with unbelievable ease, however, and continued his attack, leaping into the air and striking her in the stomach with a hard and well-placed kick. With the air knocked out of her, he snatched up her left arm and twisted it behind her back until it dislocated with a sickening pop.

Tears sprung to her eyes as her tortured screams echoed throughout the emptiness of the wharf, her back arching as a reaction to the discomfort. Slade released his hold on her arm and shoved her away, eyeing her steadily like a lion looking to finish of its prey. Breathlessly, she stumbled backwards until she lost her footing and fell, landing clumsily on small shards of glass and debris.

Too many parts of her body were crying out to her at once. She didn't know what to do. Of course she would keep fighting, but she couldn't keep this up forever. She couldn't do this by herself.

"It seems you still have a lot to learn," Slade admonished, as if this was all a simple test she had failed and nothing more.

Rage's inferno was still blazing, and it took Raven all that she had to keep her down. "You know nothing about me," she choked out with disdain. Her bloodied legs trembled as she forced herself to stand up, her shoulder screaming in torment with every slight movement.

Slade's eyebrows rose in approval, her determination to live delighting and angering him at the same time. He knew he had chosen his new apprentice wisely, now if only she would just accept his proposition, then they could focus on beating the Titans instead of each other.

She made herself stand up as straight as she could, her bruised chin jutting out in indignation. "I'll destroy myself before I serve you, Slade," she stated icily, aware of the pain she was in for, but still not deterred in the slightest.

If this was how it had to end, so be it. At least she could die knowing that it was with honor. Maybe somehow, her sacrifice would grant her a little redemption, prove that she really was nothing like her father.

She once again called forth her soul self, using her one good arm to direct its flow and direction. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

The concrete beneath Slade quaked and crumbled until two large, thick slabs broke off and surrounded him on each side. Without a moment's hesitation, the slabs met like a sandwich, encasing the astonished villain inside. Raven exhaled and removed her dark energy from the concrete, allowing the dense pieces to fall, along with a battered Slade.

The moment he was free he lunged for her, but she had already prepared her next move. Her energy crackled and wrapped itself around his wrists and ankles, lifting and hurling him into another wall. But this time, instead of assuming he was down, she used her powers to keep him there on the wall so she could watch him from a distance.

Slade didn't even look the slightest afraid. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying all of this, as if all he saw was that his "apprentice" was getting better and better by the minute.

"Someone's certainly full of surprises," he commented as he struggled mildly under her restraints.

"Yeah, that's me," she muttered as she rushed back over to the Titans. They almost looked like they were dead, they were so still and peaceful, except that they weren't, and she had to awaken them somehow. She resumed her work with Beast Boy, shaking and slapping him until she felt her good arm grow tired with the exertion.

Exasperated, she sighed and rested her downcast head on his chest, the rising and falling of it lending her a little comfort.

"You're only prolonging the inevitable, Raven," Slade taunted from his spot on the wall.

"Shut up," she fired back. Her words vibrated on Beast Boy's chest and tickled her, but no matter how much she wanted to, she could not smile. This whole situation was just so shitty and she was so sick of it. "Beast Boy," she breathed despondently, not sure what to do at this point.

When she felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken, her head snapped up. Thinking it was just her imagination, she put two fingers under his jaw and waited, expecting no change. She nearly jumped into the air when she felt the same quickened pace as before, her eyes widening in shining disbelief.

He was waking up.

"Beast Boy?" she tried again with more control in her voice.

His head rolled back and forth until his eyes finally slid open, a dazzling green filled with its usual laughter. He coughed and tried to sit up right away, but she kept him down with her good arm, insisting he take it easy first.

He tried to tell her something, but it came out as a disjointed mumble. Raven frowned. "What?" she asked worriedly.

Another cough erupted from his throat. His eyes were fixed on her teasingly. "I said, what have I told you about calling me Beast Boy?"

She could've slapped him right then and there. This was no time for jokes! At least he was awake now, though.

Her voice grew serious. "Listen to me, Slade's here and-"

She was interrupted when Slade picked her up from behind and slammed her against a charred wall. Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground as one of his hands constricted around her throat and began to strangle her.

How could this happen? She had restrained him!

Her stomach dropped. Beast Boy. When she had realized Beast Boy was coming to, her concentration must have broken, allowing Slade to get free. She felt like such an idiot.

Slade leaned in, malice dripping from his voice. "I did all of this for you, Raven. I offer you endless knowledge and power and this is your choice?" He seemed to be waiting for a response from her, as if she actually could.

All she could really do though was struggle under his painfully firm hold, her lungs growing desperate for air. Slade's visible eye narrowed, looking at her with so much distaste and hatred. In frustration, he lifted her from the wall and rammed her right back into it, her head thrumming with an aching dizziness upon making contact with the metal and brick.

"You're a fool, Raven. They don't care about you. They never have," he jeered coldly.

She stared at him stolidly, not quite sure what was happening anymore. Her mind was so numb and foggy that she was starting to forget why she was even here in the first place.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her injured knee now resembled the size of a grapefruit. And if she didn't have any skin, she was pretty sure that her left arm would be a bloody mess on the ground at this point.

The nerves in her body were worn thin, a million places feeling like they were on fire all at once. Rage beckoned her, reminding her that this was her last chance or she'd be too weak to do anything.

She was losing consciousness fast...

...or was she dying?

A small voice piped up from the deepest recesses of her mind, daring to ask the question Raven didn't think she'd have to answer for at least a few more years:

_Did it really matter anymore?_

XXXXX

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given as a writer, was to always end the chapter on a cliffhanger. Sorry guys, but I couldn't agree with them more.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

I was listening to Birdy while writing this chapter, so if any of this seems a little over-dramatic, sorry.

Hehe. I'm actually not sorry. Not in the slightest.

Enjoy!

**Darksummoner98: **Thank you, I was really nervous about how the whole Slade / Raven showdown was going to be received by my readers and your review really means a lot.

**Cailus Sionnach: **Wow, thank you. That's one of the most well-written reviews I've ever had, and I really appreciate it.

**CleoArrow: **Muahahaha thank you very much :)

**K-chan's Kisses: **Hahaha. I've always felt with the show that on a subconscious level, Raven knows how she feels about Beast Boy, that she's attracted to him and intrigued by his attitude and habits. But then at the same time on the more conscious level, Raven's never going to be the one to admit these feelings out loud, because of her insecurities or her worries about how it will affect the team or whatever. So I feel like her emotions with Beast Boy have always been a push and pull conflict inside her, where she's constantly trying to ignore these feelings but at the same time possesses an intense curiosity about what could be between them**. **But that's just my opinion, everyone interprets their relationship differently.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

At this very moment, Raven had two choices. She could give up and let Slade win, or she could summon whatever strength was left in her and fight. The former was certainly the easiest choice by far, all she really had to do was close her eyes and it could be over in seconds, maybe even less judging by Slade's eagerness to destroy her.

But in the end, Raven had way too much pride to go out like this. Sure, she could be pretty cynical at times, and Azar knew that sometimes the temptation to concede was far too great to spurn, but this wasn't just some fight she'd be losing. This was her life. Her right to breathe was being taken from her right before her shining amethyst eyes. What kind of person would she be if she relinquished that right without a second thought?

After all she'd gone through, all she'd had to overcome since her very conception, was this really how she wanted it to end? How she wanted to be remembered?

There was no second chance after this, no possible way of ever making things right. She would be dead, after all. If she was going to do something, it was now or never. But in her dazed and groggy state of mind, she had to wonder what she was even living for anymore.

So what if she lived to see tomorrow? That only gave her a few short years until the prophecy revealed itself to the universe. So what then? She fights for her life today only to succumb to a tragic death a few years later? A death that unleashes the apocalypse, no less. Hell, if she died right now, she'd be doing the universe a favor.

Demon spawn like Raven didn't get happy endings. Life didn't work that way for people like her. If anything, Life worked against her, as if she chose this for herself, as if she wanted it. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried, it would never be enough to make up for what she was destined to become.

Her eyes wandered until they fell on Beast Boy, who was desperately struggling to get up in the distance. He was shouting something at her in a panic, perhaps urging her to do something or maybe reassuring her that he was coming to help. Why did he insist on caring so much?

Slade was murmuring something to her as well, but he didn't seem as nearly concerned with her as Beast Boy was. If anything, these were probably his half-assed parting words to her, his "thanks for playing (not really), but you're gonna die now, okay?".

If she wasn't so preoccupied with gasping for air, Raven might've smiled then at the thought of her disappointing Slade. She certainly had been a disappointing apprentice, hadn't she?

Well, at least she could die knowing that she never gave in to him and his manipulations. She could die knowing that she died as Raven, not as Slade's apprentice.

Beast Boy called out to her again, and all she could do was stare in response. He had been by her side through all of this, and now he had to watch her die. Poor Beast Boy. It was his mistake to believe in her, to invest so much into her when he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

That was her biggest regret in all of this, allowing him and the Titans to get involved, when she should've just taken care of it herself, alone. That way, she wouldn't be feeling the way she did right now.

Guilty.

Disappointing.

Would they mourn her? Of course they would, and if not them, certainly Beast Boy at least. Even though she'd only known them for a couple of days, the Titans had been the closest to friends she'd ever had in her whole life. They'd treated her like a real person, and listened to her when she spoke. Granted, they didn't know everything about her and who she was, but that didn't change how they'd made her feel.

Human.

A thought then occurred to her: Maybe she didn't have to die today.

Sure, she felt selfish for even considering the idea, but maybe it didn't have to end this way. Maybe she couldn't stop the prophecy from coming true, but until then, she could do what Beast Boy had told her in the beginning. She could make a difference in people's lives, give them as much safety and happiness as she could before she herself ended all of it. Make their short time left on earth worth living.

Because the truth was, she didn't want to die. More than anything, she wanted to live.

She wanted to help people and protect them, remind them that they were fortunate and lived on a beautiful world that possessed endless possibilities. She wanted to build a life for herself here, with the Titans, if they would have her, when this was all over.

There was a light here she had never encountered before, and she wanted to bathe in it, drink it in for all it was worth. Maybe the prophecy didn't have to happen after all, maybe the answer was here all along and she just had to find it. But she'd never know unless she fought for her life right here and right now.

Raven decided right then and there, she was not going to do die today.

In that moment, her mind became very still and focused, as her hand released it's flailing grip on Slade. In his arrogance, he took this as a sign of her surrender, and as a result, faltered momentarily. But as usual, he was wrong, and his brief pause was all she needed to turn this around.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Having gotten his strength back, Beast Boy was rushing to her aid, a distressed ferocity in his eyes she couldn't recall seeing in anyone she'd ever known before. But she would not wait for him.

The expression on Slade's face was priceless as Raven felt her eyes darken with gathered energy. As he rapidly sought to finish her, she watched her power zig-zag out of her like a ribbon of static electricity. The inky surge of power pummeled into his chest, knocking Slade clear across the ruins of the warehouse, dust flying as he collided with debris.

Raven crumpled to the ground, gasping as the air finally seeped back into her lungs. Cautiously, her hands flew to her throat, testing the deep black bruises with soft and light fingers. She grimaced when she found she could hardly swallow without eliciting a stab of pain, let alone touch the exterior.

Beast Boy was at her side in a heartbeat, his face unmistakably ashen with worry. "Raven," he panted, inspecting her wounds carefully with his eyes. "Are you okay? Please tell me that you're okay!"

Though her head was still a tad hazy from the gash Slade had so kindly gifted her, she felt a thousand times more capable than she had a few moments ago. As her brain began to take in more oxygen, her senses became more alive. Her vision was sharper, and for the first time in a while, her ears were able to concentrate on something besides her pounding heartbeat.

Like Beast Boy's troubled voice, for example.

"Raven?" he tried again meekly.

She was fine. She'd be fine. But Slade was up by now and no doubt on his way back to finish her off. Beast Boy needed to focus on Slade instead of her or they'd both be screwed.

Her voice was ragged as she choked out a response. "Don't..worry...about...me."

He stared at her like she was insane. How could he not worry about her when she sounded like she needed an iron lung? His mouth opened to argue with her, but she interrupted, having picked up on Slade's stealthy form in the darkness.

"Slade," she croaked warily.

Beast Boy's concern instantly switched to alarm as he looked around feverishly. "Where?" he demanded with a low growl. She could sense his animalistic instincts swelling with the imposing threat of danger, his need to protect and defend her rising above his rational thought.

She nodded to the shadows behind him. "There."

In a flash, Beast Boy transformed into a rapacious wolf, the fine hairs on his back standing upright as he sniffed the air. When he suddenly released a howl, Raven started. She suspected it was a fatal warning to Slade, advising him to stay the hell away from the area, and from Raven.

A small smile tugged at her lips at that.

With Beast Boy's unwavering guard up, she turned her attention to the rest of the Titans, hoping for some improvement in their condition. From her location, she could recognize the slightest twitches and spasms of their muscles, which were hopefully the barest signs of approaching consciousness. Maybe there was some way for her to speed along the process, short of her slapping them like she did to Beast Boy.

She didn't want to distract Beast Boy, but she had to inform him. "Garfield..."

A low grunt escaped his throat, acknowledging her without breaking his watchful defense.

"I need to get to your team," she told him quietly, her breathing beginning to find a relaxed normality again.

His ears flinched slightly at her idea, knowing how dangerous it would be even without her injuries factored in. But if he had any doubts, he kept them buried beneath the surface for her sake.

He gave her a sideways glance, as if waiting for her to make the first move so he could follow. With his silent permission, she stood on trembling legs and edged her way over to the Titans, Beast Boy hovering nearby to aid her if necessary.

They were almost there when Raven's enlarged knee unexpectedly caught, causing her to gracelessly stumble. Without hesitation, Beast Boy was there to stop her fall, her broken body finding sanctuary in the softness of his green fur rather than the unforgiving wreckage below. She blinked back a blush as a pleasantly musky odor filled her nostrils.

"Thanks," she mumbled into him awkwardly, listening as his heartbeat quickened.

She felt him grunt again, but this one was more subdued, if not bashful in a way. A bit self-consciously, she somehow managed to ease herself back up and treaded the rest of the way without confronting another embarrassing incident. She slowly sank back into the gravel once she got to Robin and nodded up at Beast Boy to assure him that she was fine. Satisfied, he resumed his prowling, anticipating Slade's every move with a quiet strength.

Turning to Robin, she examined him with a critical eye to make sure he had no serious injuries before setting to work on him. Now that Beast Boy was keeping watch, she had more time to try other things besides physical pain as a tool. She decided that utilizing her healing powers may not be such a bad idea to start with, though it would be pushing her to her very limit at this point to heal all of them.

It was risky, but she would survive.

Her right hand began to luminesce a dazzling white as she prepared to expel her energy into Robin. Beast Boy made a gruff noise and she looked up at him challengingly, understanding his objections but undeterred in her decision.

"I can handle it," she said to him stubbornly.

His wild eyes fixated on her. Still in wolf form, he simply snorted before returning his attention to the darkness. They didn't have much time before Slade reappeared, and Beast Boy was in no mood to argue with her.

She placed her hand on Robin's head and chanted her mantra inwardly, seeking to soothe whatever damage had been done in the explosion that kept him knocked out. When she was finished with Robin, she felt tired, but she hastened to Cyborg and repeated the process with him and then again with Starfire.

"Better hurry, Raven. Your time is running out," Slade's chilling voice echoed throughout the wharf. It was hard to tell how close he was.

Raven's head snapped up. So he had been waiting and watching all along. But what was he waiting for? Wasn't it a bit counterproductive for him to let her revive the Titans?

She turned to Beast Boy, who had his gleaming teeth bared in response to Slade's threat. "I'm almost done," she assured him.

When she finished with Starfire, she surveyed the three of them and found that they had more color in their face than before. That was definitely a good sign. She swallowed her exhaustion and picked herself up off the ground. With a small whimper, Beast Boy padded over and offered himself as a form to lean on.

While she was grateful for the offer, she knew she had to suck it up and be ready to fight. "Thanks, but..I..." she trailed off shyly.

If he was offended or hurt by her refusal, he didn't show it. She didn't have time to worry about that though, because she then heard a soft murmuring coming from Robin.

"Robin?" Raven rushed to his side and patiently waited for him to wake up, with Beast Boy hovering nearby.

Finally, Robin's eyes blinked open. He looked up at Raven and Beast Boy confusedly, as if forgetting who they were and why he was here in the first place. "Where's Starfire?" he rasped.

Beast Boy released something closely resembling a chuckle. Typical Boy Wonder.

Raven suppressed a knowing smile as she checked his pulse under his jaw to make sure everything was normal. "She's fine, Robin. She'll be waking up soon."

"What happened?" he wondered.

Raven exchanged a look with Beast Boy before answering. "Slade," she shrugged.

Robin's body stiffened, like it was all flooding back to him now. He sat up, despite Raven's protests. "Where is he?"

"We don't know," she swallowed uneasily. "But we know he's close enough to be watching us."

At that, Robin stood up and stretched, feeling out his body to make sure everything was okay. He looked down at Raven with a bewildered expression. "I'm not wounded?"

She shook her head. "No, I took care of that. For all three of you," she regarded Beast Boy thoughtfully. "Which reminds me..."

Beast Boy, still in his wolf form, backed away from her and growled as if to say, "Don't you dare waste any more of your strength. I'll be fine."

She was about to argue with him when they heard Cyborg and Starfire stirring behind them. Robin flew to Starfire's side, grasping for her hands without giving it a second thought. Cyborg was up first and, seeing that he was half circuits, he actually seemed the most awake and alert of all of them. After briefly scrolling through a systems check, he got up and rolled his neck to one side until a distinct pop was heard.

"Ohh man," he groaned lazily. "I don't know what Slade put in that detonator, but I was _knocked_ _out_."

"It's not over, yet," Robin reminded them grimly. Starfire was lying tranquilly with her head in his lap, a glazed look in her eye as she watched him.

Raven nodded. "You three stay here and gather your strength. We'll go and try to draw Slade out of hiding."

"Say what! No way, I'm going with you guys," Cyborg interjected.

"No," Raven spurned decidedly. Cyborg was taken aback.

She exhaled, feeling like a jerk. "It's not that we couldn't use your help Cyborg, but Robin and Starfire don't have their full stamina back, and..." she trailed off guiltily, pleading for him to understand.

"..Yeah...I gotcha. Don't worry about it," Cyborg smiled, although still noticeably disheartened.

The Titans couldn't argue with that logic, no matter how much they wanted to. Turning to Beast Boy, she added, "Besides, I'll have him to help me if anything happens. We'll be fine."

Beast Boy nodded noiselessly, despite the fact he knew she was lying to make them feel better about the situation. But she couldn't fool him. He hadn't witnessed everything Slade had done to her, but he'd seen enough to know that she was in no shape to be standing up and walking around, let alone baiting Slade.

But what could he do about it? He understood her well enough by now to realize that asking her to sit out on the sidelines was a waste of everyone's time; she was just too damn headstrong and prideful to tap out when she really needed to. So, he settled with the next best option, helping her beat the crap out of Slade.

As if remembering something, Beast Boy reverted back to his human form. "Raven, wait. Your shoulder," he pointed out. No way was she going anywhere until she took care of that.

"What about it?" she winced, her healthy arm automatically moving to support it. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she didn't have enough juice at the moment to heal it properly.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a martyr. You need to fix that before we do anything else."

"I..." she trailed off, her eyes downcast in embarrassment.

The other Titans looked at her curiously, but Beast Boy's expression softened, as if he somehow understood what she implied. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to pop it back in for you," he resolved. He looked at Cyborg expectantly, who was the medical expert in the Tower.

Cyborg stepped forward, recognizing his role in all of this. He looked at Raven sympathetically. "I'm not gonna lie to you, this will hurt like hell."

"I know," she gulped.

"You don't need to worry though, because I've done this a thousand times before. It'll be over quickly," he promised.

"I know."

Cyborg sighed. "Alright, I need to borrow your cloak, Raven, if that's okay?"

She nodded and gave him her tattered cloak, her body shaking slightly at what was to come.

"Now lie down flat on your back," he instructed patiently. "BB, I need you to sit by her head so you can help me with this."

Gently, she lowered herself until she was lying on her back, her heart beating wildly in her chest as Beast Boy took his position above her. She almost wanted to reach for his hand so she had something to squeeze, but she knew Cyborg needed Beast Boy's undivided attention for this.

Cyborg positioned her cloak so that it looped around her dislocated shoulder's armpit and then handed it to Beast Boy. "You remember what to do, BB?"

"Yup."

Cyborg gingerly took hold of Raven's dislocated arm. "Ready, Raven?"

She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. "As I'll ever be."

For a few seconds, there was nothing. No movement, no sound. And then all at once, Raven felt as if she might explode. She cried out bitterly as she felt Cyborg pull down on her arm, while Beast Boy jerked her cloak upwards in order to apply counter traction.

Swallowing the rest of her screams, she bit down on the inside of her cheek until the metallic taste of blood coated her tongue.

They continued this tortuous exercise until she finally felt her muscles relax and her arm slip back into its socket. She opened her eyes to find Beast Boy and Cyborg watching her with concern.

"How do you feel?" Cyborg asked.

Well, she was drenched in sweat, her shoulder throbbed, her mouth was raw, and she wanted to vomit, but other than that..."Fine."

Beast Boy grinned a little and offered his hand. "You don't have to pretend with us, Raven. Cy's had to pop my shoulders back at least a dozen times."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied wryly. Without hesitation, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up.

"Remember to take it easy with that arm," Cyborg reminded her seriously, sounding very much like a doctor.

"I will," she said, putting her cloak back on. She looked up at Cyborg gratefully. "Thank you."

He smiled mischievously. "No problem. But I'm not the only one you should be thanking."

Her eyes landed on Beast Boy and immediately she felt her cheeks turn crimson. "Thank you, Garfield."

The green teen gave her a sheepish smile in return, his eyes sparkling as his lone fang poked out.

It was a nice moment until Cyborg burst out laughing, surprising both Robin and Starfire as well. "_Garfield_? You've got her callin' you by your real name? Oh _man _this is just too much!"

Beast Boy elbowed him roughly. "Dude!"

But Cyborg would not stop laughing, no matter how inappropriate it seemed for the situation. They still had to find Slade, after all. The large man clutched his stomach and doubled over as his laughter continued to carry on.

Having heard enough, Beast Boy grabbed Raven's wrist and led her off. "C'mon, let's go finish this already so I can kill Cyborg," he huffed as Cyborg's hooting echoed obnoxiously behind them.

XXXXX

I don't wanna ruin your guys' week or anything, but I feel like there's maybe two or three chapters left in this story. Just giving you guys a heads up.

As always, thanks for reading. I love you guys.


	21. Chapter 21

This is why I wanted to be finished with this story before school started up again.

I'm sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to be posted, this past week was my first week back at school and I'm taking more courses than last year, so I really had no time to write. Luckily, I had written about half of this chapter the week before, and I was struck with a rush inspiration on this past Friday, so I was able to polish it pretty quickly.

This is by far the longest chapter I've written. Enjoy!

**LilBlackBird: **Hahaha, aww thank you! And no, I wouldn't mind, as long as I'm invited to the ceremony!

**dawnlight55: **Oh my gosh, your review killed me. Seriously, like, what you wrote is such a massive compliment and you have no idea how much I appreciate it. You made my life. I have not read the comics, though I desperately want to because I keep seeing snippets of BBxRae comic moments on my Tumblr dashboard and I love the whole DC/Marvel/Superhero comics fandom. But reading your review has definitely increased my motivation to get my hands on a stack of comic books! And thank you for the tip, I will definitely keep an eye out for the issues you mentioned.

**Xaphrin: **Wahhhhh thank you! That really means a lot!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything even remotely related to the Teen Titans.**

XXXXX

It was eerily quiet in the wharf, especially now that Cyborg's guffawing had faded out behind them. Beast Boy and Raven were quite alone now, wandering almost aimlessly through the labyrinth of warehouses in search of Slade.

Deep down, they both knew it was a waste of time to actually try to find him. You didn't find Slade, Slade found _you_. And if by some miracle you did find him, it's because he wanted you too, because it was all according to his master plan.

Raven peered down at the strange image before her. The sight of Beast Boy's hand comfortably clasped around her own was truly marveling, even to her. When had he started holding her hand instead of her wrist? And why the hell hadn't she noticed?

She halted abruptly in her step, confusing Beast Boy until she pulled her hand away from his awkwardly.

"Oh...sorry," he amended anxiously. He probably thought she was going to fry him or send him to another dimension as punishment for the unexpected and intimate contact, but she was far too exhausted for such things right now. All she wanted to do was end this deranged mess Slade had shamelessly concocted, and go to bed. More than anything, she just wanted this whole ordeal to be over.

"Don't worry about it," she said, resting to check on her knee.

Beast Boy stared at her swollen appendage with skepticism. "Are you sure you're okay to walk on that?"

"I'm fi-"

"_Fine_. Yeah, I know, you keep saying that," he sighed, a tinge of irritation in his voice.

Raven ignored the jibe, and instead decided to focus on the stars above her. The fog had lifted considerably in the last hour or so, revealing an elegantly decorated night sky.

"We're never going to find him," she muttered despondently. "He's probably watching us, right now, but we'll never find him. He doesn't want us to, so we won't."

Beast Boy studied her carefully. "Raven, I know you're tired, but you can't give up."

It wasn't much of a pep talk, but she understood that in his drained state of mind, this was the best he could do. They were all tired, fatigued, weary...whatever. They were over Slade and all his bullshit.

"I know," she agreed with him, raking a hand through her tangled mess of hair in frustration. "I just want this to be over."

"Me too."

She turned and looked at him, finding a weak smile planted on his face. The waves were crashing lightly against the docks behind them, reminding them that there was a world beyond tonight, a world outside of Slade's diabolical schemes that was worth fighting for.

"So, what should we do now?" she asked softly, the peacefulness around them appealing to her weary mind. As the night wore on, her body was beginning to take stock of her growing wounds, and as a result, an agonizing soreness had started to set in.

Her muscles were stiff and tender from all the physical exertion and her skin stung from her brief exposure to the detonator's blast. Not to mention her head and throat were still reeling from the aftermath of Slade's brutal temper.

Beast Boy looked down at his hands, the gentle moonlight reflecting affectionately upon his face. "It's hard to say. Slade's obviously playing games with us. He could be long gone by now, for all we know."

Unconsciously, Raven licked her lips. "Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe we should head back to the rest of your team."

Beast Boy's eyebrows knitted together like he was about to contradict her, but Raven cut him off. Her senses were perking at something not too far from their location.

"Garfield."

"What? What's wrong?"

She started to walk in the direction of the energy signal, her instincts telling her it was Slade. "My senses are picking up on something in this direction. We need to move, fast."

"Wait, what?" he stepped in front of her, attempting to reclaim her attention. "Raven, hold up, what are you talking about?"

She glared up at him as she tried to side-step around his blocking form. "I'll explain on the way, but we need to get moving."

His hands flew to her shoulders, preventing her from leaving her spot in front of him. "No. Tell me now. Is it Slade?" he asked with unflinching seriousness, though taking extra care not to irritate or re-injure her tender shoulder.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure. But they didn't have much to go on right now and she wanted to finish this nightmare once and for all. Her fingers grasped at his hands, trying to yank them off, but his grip was stronger than she had expected. "I'm not entirely sure," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Beast Boy's grip relaxed, but she remained grounded there by his next question. "Were you actually there when the detonator went off, or was that just my imagination?" he wondered dryly.

"What are you talking about?"

He released his grip completely, backing away as he shook his head in disbelief. At first she couldn't tell if he was just teasing her, but when she heard the concern in his voice, she knew she'd said something wrong.

"Raven, how do we know this isn't just another one of Slade's traps? We can't just go running after every little thing he leaves for us to find!"

She recoiled at his sudden outpouring of emotions, though she did feel like an idiot for not wondering the same thing. It was the fatigue making her more reckless, she knew, but it was still no excuse. She pulled her hood up, feeling very much like a small, weary child being scolded.

"You're right, I wasn't thinking...I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

Then, out of nowhere, Beast Boy grinned at her.

"What?" she inquired defensively, not understanding his sudden change in attitude.

He chuckled a little bit as his eyes searched hers. "Nothing, nothing. It's just that..." he faded out, shrugging at her goofily.

"It's just that what?" she huffed.

"...You apologized to me."

Raven felt her face flush, and she was grateful for the security of her hood. "People apologize to people all the time. It's not a big deal," she replied stoically.

As if it were even possible, his grin somehow got bigger. "It is when it's you and me."

Oh boy. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it," she retorted, seeking to change the subject immediately. "Slade's brutality probably gave me brain damage, anyway."

"Yeah, it must have, considering you actually apologized to me!" he laughed.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Not to defer from this totally fascinating conversation we're having right now, but I really think we should check out that source I picked up on."

Beast Boy stopped laughing. "Raven, are you sure about this?"

"No. But it's all we've got right now."

His lips drew out into a thin line, his flecked green eyes murky and troubled. "Alright," he exhaled, pulling out his yellow Teen Titans communicator. "But if we're going to do this, we'll need the others."

When she covered his communicator with her hand, he looked up at her questioningly.

"Maybe we should give them a little more time to rest," she suggested gently, knowing how anxious the other three must be feeling right now, especially Robin. And besides, if Slade was truly gone, there was no point in riling up the Boy Wonder. "That way if we need them, they'll be at their most revitalized," she added.

Beast Boy hesitated at first, but then nodded. "Alright, but I'm sending out a distress signal when we get there. I don't wanna take any more chances."

They took off toward the source's direction, the cold air nipping at their faces as they ran. Raven's injuries were temporarily put on the back-burner as her body coursed with newfound adrenaline.

A while later, she found herself stopping at another warehouse, though unlike the first one, this one looked like it was used on a more regular basis.

Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who was putting his communicator away. "Signal's sent," he murmered. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

He smiled a little. "Stay close to me," he instructed.

They entered through a small and out-of-the-way side entrance, creeping into the building as quietly as cat burglars. As they eased into the darkness of the facility, Raven's senses became more alive, confirming their proximity to the source. "This way," she directed softly, shivering under the flow of the intense air conditioning system above them.

They soon found themselves heading to a back storage room. Beast Boy halted in his tracks, sniffing the air vehemently.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping their surroundings in mind.

He stopped sniffing, his facial expression horrified and bewildered at the same time. "You don't smell that?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Smell what?"

Beast Boy's eyes wandered frantically until they spotted the suspicious hooks hanging cryptically from the ceiling. "What did you say they stored in this warehouse?"

"...I didn't."

"Right," he swallowed, his breathing a tad shaky.

She decided to take the lead, sensing that the source in question was very close to them now. The source certainly didn't feel like Slade, but for all she knew he could just as easily be disguising his presence to throw her off. There was only one way to find out.

She nudged him toward a larger room up ahead. "That might be it."

He nodded, moving closer to her as they readied themselves for another confrontation with Slade.

They pressed themselves up against an adjacent wall. Beast Boy fixed his gaze on Raven, throwing a hand up and silently counting backwards from five with his fingers. She could feel his warm, pleasant breath on her neck as they hunched together, her heart speeding up just ever so slightly.

As soon as his last finger curled into his palm, they both jumped out in front of the doorway, their movements so swift and calculated even Slade himself might have been impressed. Raven's hands were up and fizzling with dark energy, while Beast Boy had transformed into a ready-to-pounce lion.

As they took in the sight before them, Beast Boy reverted back into a human, his face a little paler than usual. "Damn."

Raven lowered her hands as well, a little surprised at the sort of warehouse they had stumbled into. The raw odor was rather overpowering at this point and she wondered how she hadn't smelled it sooner. But thinking back on the hooks and the particular coldness of the warehouse, it all made sense.

They had wandered into a facility that stored meat; in simplest terms, a meat locker.

Her eyes fell on Beast Boy, who looked like he'd been slapped hard across the face. Leave it to Slade to lead them to a place like this. The view they had was enough to tempt her into veganism. Dozens of varying slabs of meat hung from the rust-colored hooks in the locker, the pale reds and pinks and yellows sending a wave of nausea through her lurching stomach.

It was a large meat locker to say the least, with rows and rows of raw animal reaching as far back into the darkness as her eyes could make out. The lights were off, as they were within the rest of the building, but the fervent buzz of the refrigeration system remained constant in order to keep the meat fresh.

She couldn't even imagine what was going through Beast Boy's head.

Tentatively, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

He looked at her dazedly, as if she had just woken him from sleep, or maybe even a nightmare. It took a while for the words to reach his mouth. "Yeah. It's just a lot to take in, especially since I've been most of these animals before." he said quietly.

She waited a few moments for him to gather himself before bringing up their next move. "I think we might have to go in there," she told him a little uneasily.

Beast Boy nodded, his face still looking numb. "I had a feeling you'd say that," he was trying to keep his tone light, but she knew this must have been the last thing he wanted to hear.

"You can wait out here if you want," she offered, even though they both knew he'd never take her up on that.

"I think we both know that's out of the question," he smiled grimly. Raven suspected that Slade had designed this test with Beast Boy in mind, to torture him on yet another level before the night was through.

It was quiet between them after that, with nothing but the sound of the ventilation system keeping them sober. Finally, Beast Boy stepped forward, his posture determined.

"I'll go in first," he decided, though there was a small amount of horror in his eyes at what he was about to do.

Raven watched him as he cautiously crept inside the freezing meat locker. When he was more than a few feet inside, he turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. "I don't think there's anyone in-"

He was cut off when the door to the freezer suddenly slammed shut and locked, conveniently separating the two heroes from each other.

"Raven, open the door!" he called out, panicked. She could hear him pounding on the heavy door with his fists.

Raven tried her best to remain calm as she scanned the door frantically, searching for the locking mechanism.

There.

She tugged at the lock with all of her strength, but the damned thing wouldn't budge for anything.

"Raven, what's going on out there?"

Giving up physical force with a frustrated grunt, she stepped back, preparing to release her soul-self onto the door. "The lock's stuck. Hold on, I'm going to try something else."

"Okay, well, I don't wanna rush you or anything, but it's _really_ cold in here. Not to mention there's at least twenty different cuts of meat staring at me!" he informed her none too calmly.

"Just hold on a second," she said irritably. Sometimes Beast Boy could be so impatient and it drove her nuts. She was about to unleash her dark energy upon the door, when she felt the air suddenly changed around her.

"The animal is trapped in a meat locker. How fitting."

Raven turned around slowly, though a sinking feeling in her gut told her there was no visual confirmation needed. Deep down, she already knew exactly who was standing there.

"Slade," she breathed.

There he was, in all his nauseating glory, gazing at her amusedly as if his previous observation was the most clever thing anyone had ever said. "Oh come now, Raven. Don't look so happy to see me," he remarked indifferently.

"After everything that's happened, after everything _you've _done, you honestly thought I'd have a smile plastered on my face when I saw you?" she bit back a snarl.

"Raven?" Beast Boy shouted in a confused tone. "Who's out there? What's going on?"

Slade's one eye twitched, as if he was holding back a chuckle, like this was all so amusing to him. The bastard.

"Let him out," she demanded to Slade abruptly, forgetting her injuries or exhaustion.

Slade cocked an eyebrow and began to circle around her like a hungry vulture. "Lucky for you, Raven, I'm feeling rather generous today. I've decided I'm going to give you one last chance to make the right decision."

Raven felt her chest puff with raw fury. "And what did I do to deserve such an honor?" she asked flatly.

"I see a lot of potential in you, Raven. And I've always considered myself the type of man who hates to lose out on an excellent investment opportunity."

Raven stared at him, a baffled expression finding its way to her face. Did he really think that after everything that had gone down, she was just going to bow down to him and pledge her loyalty?

"This cannot be happening," she muttered to herself, panic rising in her stomach.

Slade ceased his circling, and Raven shivered when she suddenly felt his hot breath in her ear. "I'd advise you not to make the same mistakes as before, dear child," he regarded the thick freezer door behind her, sinisterly. "Especially if you want your so-called 'friends' to survive this..."

Her breath caught as she remembered Beast Boy trapped in the frigid meat locker. Slade wouldn't really let Beast Boy freeze to death would he? Then again, the more she thought of it, the more she realized that the list of things Slade would not do was probably very, very small, practically non-existent, most likely.

"You wouldn't," she whispered, having a hard time making her voice go any louder. "And even if you _would_, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll succeed."

Beast Boy was, well, _Beast _Boy. With all the animals he was able to morph into, trying to freeze him to death would be very tricky, even for Slade.

The psycho was lying, as usual, but this time she'd called his bluff.

Now Slade chuckled, and it was one of the worst sounds she'd ever heard in her whole life. Her short burst of victory was seemingly over before it had even found its stride. "Did you really think I would lock that creature up in a freezer without taking the proper precautions?"

Despite the sharp, acrid ache running through her body, she somehow found herself growling back at him, the words spilling uncontrollably before she could stop them. "He has a name! His name is Be-"

"His identity makes no difference to me," Slade interrupted. "He will not be alive much longer, anyway...Though the amount of affection you've developed for him in such a short amount of time is quite fascinating, Raven," he appraised her curiously.

"What did you do!" she gnashed her teeth. She imagined tiny sparks bursting from her mouth as she did.

Slade had stepped away and was inspecting the armor around his wrists, as if she had just asked him about the weather. "It's simple really. Genius in all its simplicity, but really, very simple. I had a device made and implanted into the insulation of the meat locker, preventing him from transforming into any kind of animal while he's in there. I'd explain the mechanics of the device to you, but somehow I think you might find that rather dull."

There was a lump forming in Raven's throat and she wished more than anything that Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were there to help her right then. So, this was how Slade really planned on garnering Raven's loyalty. This time she really was backed into a corner. "You're lying," she accused weakly.

"Now, even if I was, Raven, would you really like to test that theory?" he asked wickedly.

Raven's eyes fixated on the cold concrete below them, feeling utterly cornered and helpless.

But it wasn't long before Slade's breath was in her ear again, this time his teeth practically nipping at her lobe. Her body cringed in disgust as his hands found their way to her shoulders, in a disturbingly intimate sort of way that made her want to release bile from her pores. She felt her burning hatred for him magnify infinitely in that moment.

"All you have to do is say 'Yes', Raven, and this will all be over," his words slithered into her and all around her like a venomous snake.

She whirled around to strike him across the face, but his reflexes were faster, like he was always one step ahead of her.

Indifferently, he clutched at her wrist and bent and twisted it backwards, until she was certain it would snap. She grit her teeth and waited for yet another one of her bones to splinter, courtesy of Slade and his never ending "generosity".

But instead of finishing the action, he held her wrist there, painfully on the precipice of breaking, and clucked his tongue at her in mock disappointment. "Pity. Such a waste of potential. You could've had everything you've ever wanted, Raven."

"You mean everything _you've _ever wanted. And besides, what makes you think I don't have that already?" she spoke with an eery calmness, and even she could see that in that moment, in that small millisecond, Slade's confidence faltered as he pondered the sincerity of her question.

Raven broke out of Slade's grip and spun to face the meat locker, not caring if Slade broke her spine or snapped her neck in the next few seconds.

"Beast Boy! Get away from the door!" she called to him. She called forth all of her remaining strength, praying desperately to Azar that he was alright and she wasn't too late.

A ray of dark luminescence shot from her hand and collided with the massive freezer door, knocking it completely off its hinges as it sailed to the back of the dim meat locker like a piece of crumbled tin foil.

She didn't even have time to see if Beast Boy was okay, though, because it was right then that she felt Slade's meaty hand rip down into her hair. She cried out as she felt her body being yanked into an almost back-bend position by his barbaric grip, the root's of the hair on her scalp bleeding as he thoughtlessly handled her like a rag doll.

She grunted as she heard her spinal vertebra pop and creak from the insane pressure, her back muscles and tendons twisting with singeing agony because they were unaccustomed to this level of flexibility. Her legs trembled with exertion as they threatened to give out beneath her, yet somehow, she remained frozen in her awkward position, as if Slade's precarious grip held her there.

"Looks like you've made your choice," Slade glowered down at her. Raven closed her eyes and waited, simply too tired and wounded to do anything more. At least it wouldn't be in vain. At least Beast Boy would live.

That was all she needed to know.

As she waited for him to make his final move, she thought of everything that had happened these past few days, and vaguely wondered if any of this could have been prevented, or if it had simply been meant to be. Had all of her previous thoughts and actions led her to this moment? Was there nothing she could have done to change it?

These were not thoughts of last-minute regret and desperation, merely thoughts of pure wonder. Though Raven was very much in pain, and both physically and mentally exhausted, she was much more conscious than the last time she faced Slade, when he had tried to choke life out of her. The reality of the situation was hitting her harder this time, like a brutal slap upside her head with a cinderblock.

Her eyes found themselves blinking open though, when she heard a small, sharp object whistle past her and slice through the hair Slade grasped, releasing her from his hold in one smooth motion. She crumpled clumsily to the floor and looked around bemusedly, her eyes eventually pouncing on the Birdarang that had carved itself into the gritty concrete, wisps of violet locks strewn about it, carelessly.

Slade, now left holding a modest handful of Raven's hair, seemed to recognize the object around the same time she did, and with wide eyes dove for her. He didn't get very far though before a green rhino charged into him from the side, his body tumbling and skidding across the floor with a grimace-inducing crack.

"TITANS, GO!" Robin shouted furiously. Raven looked up at the door she and Beast Boy had originally entered from, to find the other three Titans fiercely rushing to join the scene. They looked like they'd had a year to rest, their movements fresh and fearless as they each took turns in pummeling a shocked and defenseless Slade, as if he was a piñata created purely for their enjoyment.

That's not to say that they were _outwardly_ enjoying beating Slade to a pulp. Maybe mentally, on some deep, unconscious level they were enjoying this physical form of payback. But nobody was _smiling_ as they clobbered the psychotic villain, no one was laughing or throwing high fives. There were no "Boo-yah!"s or offers of congratulation.

No, this was different. This was grimly serious.

This was Slade.

And Slade had managed to take it a level farther this time, crossed even more lines than usual.

And, needless to say, the Titans were pissed.

Of course, it's not like they were trying to kill Slade. They were nowhere near that level of rage. Maybe sometimes (okay, maybe most of the time), they wanted Slade dead, but they would never go as far as to actually kill him.

Because they were better than that. They were heroes. They were the Teen Titans.

Having gathered some of his bearings, Slade was attempting to fight back now, but the Titans' determination was unfathomable. With a mighty battle cry, Starfire released a barrage of beautiful green starbolts upon Slade, the rapidly falling green energy almost resembling an acidic downpour.

As Slade futilely tried to avoid her attack, Cyborg utilized the opportunity to blast him with his gleaming sonic canon. The power from the canon sent Slade crashing into a wall, the sociopathic man collapsing to his knees with a weary groan.

It was then that a green lion pounced on Slade, and it took a while for Raven to realize that it was Beast Boy again.

Only this time, Beast Boy was not holding back so much. The green lion swiped at Slade viciously, a smattering of blood and claw marks beginning to take form all across his arms and chest.

"Beast Boy! Stop!" Robin called out to him.

Beast Boy seemed to pause for a moment, and shuddered, as if being harshly shaken from a dream. Raven felt tears burn at the back of her eye sockets as she watched Beast Boy, still in lion form, quietly stalk away from Slade and over to her protectively, a mixture of relief and pride shining in his eyes.

Robin watched his teammate carefully before soberly turning to Slade's mangled, yet somehow still smug, form. The Boy Wonder began to walk toward him, his metal staff expanding in his hand as if he had commanded it to do so mentally.

Slade eased himself up into a sitting position, leaning on the wall for support. Robin stopped walking and eyed him cautiously, setting himself in a defensive stance. Slade's eye swept across the room, noting each of them individually, before finally resting on Raven.

Everyone noticed this. "It's over, Slade," Robin spat at him, not bothering to contain his revulsion toward the man.

The villain's eyebrow quirked at that, and faintly Raven wondered if he was going to chuckle again. His gaze stayed on her as he spoke, blatantly ignoring Robin's statement.

"It's a pity my proposal did not take, Raven," he announced nonchalantly, before observing each of the Titans again. It was like he wasn't even wounded, wasn't even in the slightest bit in pain. "However, rest assured, we will cross paths again."

Robin clutched Slade by the collar now, practically spitting in his face. "Didn't you hear me? I said this was over," he snarled.

Slade's attention focused on Robin, his one eye narrowing cruelly. "On the contrary, Robin, this is only the beginning."

Something glinted in his right hand, and when Raven recognized the object, she wished she had spotted it sooner. As Slade's thumb pressed down upon the trigger, amidst all the running and shouting, Raven couldn't help but think that the man certainly held a particular fetish for destruction.

Despite her intense state of fatigue, Raven was still able to react faster than the last time. Throwing every other thought out the window, Raven centered her remaining stores of power and willed for it to expand all the way to Robin, who was still the farthest away, despite his sprinting.

She felt her vocal chords strain as she screamed out her mantra for the last time that night. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

If someone happened to be watching the warehouse from a distance, they probably would've been awed by the strange, yet stunning sight before them; the breathtaking collision between the scarlet flames of the fiery explosion, and the inky glow of the steady, protective power that safeguarded against it.

XXXXX

Alright, so, the next chapter is the last chapter. It's definitely a weird feeling to be telling you guys that, especially when I think back on how this all started. But I have to warn all of you, now that I'm back at school, the last chapter may not be posted this next week. It may take longer, depending on my schedule. But it will definitely be up by the end of September, don't worry.

Thanks for reading! I love you guys.


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